At this time of year I receive a number of inquires from homeowners wanting to get a head start on their lawns. Most of the questions concern weed control. A frequent question is "I have a lot of crabgrass in my yard taking over my fescue. What can I do to control the crabgrass and have a good stand of grass?" My reply is almost always the same; "Determine why your grass is not growing first, and then work toward controlling your weeds." Healthy lawns have few weeds.
    Controlling weeds and perfect lawns are difficult to achieve in our area. Cool season fescue or cool season fescue/bluegrass blends are the predominant grass grown in the piedmont comprising 95% of Rowan County lawns. Growing this type of turf is especially challenging since these grass types are not well adapted to weather conditions of our area. Rowan County is in a transitional temperature zone that is generally too warm for cool season grasses and too cold for warm season grasses. Maximum growth for turf, especially for fescue in hot weather is indeed a challenge. Unfortunately, there are no "cookbook" recommendations for promoting a beautiful lawn. There are over 22 different soil types in Rowan County alone not to mention weed pressure, temperature and last but not least, inconsistency in lawn maintenance programs.
    However, there are a number of steps one can take to help even the odds and grow a thick, healthy lawn.
**The first step is to have you soil tested and follow the recommendations. Guessing as to lime and fertilization is just that, a guess. Sample kits are available from Cooperative Extension. It is currently a free service provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Improper fertilization and liming wastes time, money and threatens our environment, especially streams and groundwater. It is probably the number one reason why lawns fail.
**Plant or over-seed during optimum growing season for maximum root growth. Cool season grasses germinate and grow best during the fall. Roots will continue to grow and expand deeply into the soil during cold weather, even at temperatures below 40 degrees. Cool season grasses go semi-dormant and stop growing at temperatures above 85 degrees. Realizing not all can plant at the proper time is indeed a serious problem, but the fact does remain that cool season grasses germinate best in the fall. Odds are of those that plant in the heat of late spring and summer may have to repeat the process again or at least a portion that upcoming fall.
    These are just two examples of how lawns can be improved to resist weed competition. These two are the easiest to rectify. However, the variables with our situation in the piedmont and choice of turf has other problems too numerous to list here.