Burning off warm season grasses was the solution back in the day.

I remember years ago you could drive around St. Louis and notice a lot of Zoysia lawns that looked burnt with a smoky scorch across them, and I always thought those people were crazy for setting their lawns on fire. This is a way that people used to remove the dead top growth from the turf to jump start the lawn in the spring. I recently saw a yard that had done this process and wanted to explain it a lot better.

Setting your lawn a blaze was a technique used more by rural homeowners to remove dead top growth and warm up the soil temperature. It can also rid the turf of unwanted pests that may be residing in your lawn. Warm season grass usually doesn't come to life until we start seeing temperatures in the 80`s. Burning the yard increases the ground temperatures which in turn may cause warm season grasses to sprout early. There were a lot more risks than benefits I say when doing this procedure. The fire would have to be constantly watched and controlled for the fire not to get out of control. It would have to be a calm, less windy day for ideal conditions. You run the risk of burning up other things if the fire would reach your gardens and not stay in the turf areas. Air pollution is generating from the smoke from the burning of the lawn. Local authorities must be warned when doing this technique. There are now a number of ways to jump start the lawn or remove top growth from the lawn. Power raking will help to remove thatch from the yard and cutting on a lower setting in early spring will remove top growth.

Controlled burns are still a way of technique for cutting back wild prairies or large grassy areas. The burning of the areas helps to break down plant matter and ready the area for new growth the coming season. There were a series of controlled burns in Forest Park in the St. Louis area last fall to prepare prairie areas for renovation. There burns are done by qualified and trained professionals. I do not recommend using the controlled burned for your yard. Stick to the new way of doing things. The burning of yards is banned in a lot of cities and municipalities in the area. 

When to start developing your spring garden.

A lot of things on people’s minds are starting to be warmer weather and getting out of the house. This has been a harsh winter for most of the United States. Cabin fever is starting to set in, if it hasn`t already in our minds. Now would be a great time to start thinking about your spring garden and be prepared when this weather does finally change for the better. You still have some time as most of the ground hogs saw there shadow on Ground Hog Day, which means 6 more weeks of winter. I know a lot of people don`t want to hear this. But as they say, being prepared is better than not having a plan.

You may want to completely renovate that old garden or simply add some news plants to your existing garden. The decision is simply up to you, and having a decision will help when you to prepare your plan of attack. Always keep in mind how much sun hits the area or is it completely shaded during the day. Different plants adapt to different areas to help with this factor. Also doing a soil test will help to steer you in the right path of what to do to your soil for the lushest, greenest plants. You can read more on soil testing on website blog.

If you’re not born with a green thumb but still want a garden, we know a great gardener in St. Louis that can help.