Spring is a time to dream about perfectly manicured lawns spreading in every direction around your association. But gorgeous grass doesn't always grow without help—and it's not always weed-free. Pesky plants like crabgrass and dandelions detract from the look of your HOA's landscaping scheme, and can exacerbate residents' allergies. But by following the right regimen for your grass, you can keep appearances by these and other weeds to a minimum.

According to Bruce Hellerick, a horticulturist with The Brickman Group, Ltd., a landscaping firm based in Bridgewater, "The biggest thing is to have a good, healthy turf," says Hellerick. "The best thing people can do is to practice good horticultural and cultural procedures with their lawn and turf."

Testing Your Soil

The first of those procedures toward a healthy lawn is to conduct a soil test, which determines the nutrients in soil, its PH, and even what type of soil you have. Most landscapers recommend soil testing every two or three years.

"Supplying your lawn with the right amount of nutrients is very important," says Alex Liguori of High Tech Landscapes Inc. in Martinsville. "A soil test will establish what your lawn needs, and can show you your soil's deficiencies. Then you can determine the right program for that lawn."

Soil testing involves gathering samples throughout your property's lawn, then sending the samples to a lab for analysis. Getting several samples from different spots is important, because different areas of your lawn may need different treatment based on things like sun exposure and drainage.

Professional landscapers are the ones most likely to use testing services, but enterprising, green-thumbed managing agents or landscaping committees can make use of them as well. "Soil-test kits are available from Rutgers University," says Hellerick. "You fill out a form, send them soil, and then they write back and tell you what to do—if you need to add lime, or if there are some specific nutrients you need to add."

The Thatch Effect

After soil testing, Liguori says there are three keys to keeping a lawn healthy: thatch management, proper watering, and proper cutting. Thatch is what's produced when grass peels, leaving a tangled mat of brown leaf matter on top of your soil. The right amount of thatch helps a lawn, but too much can cause damage.

"Up to a certain amount—which up to a half-inch to three quarters of an inch—thatch is beneficial to your lawn," says Liguori, "because it insulates your soil and protects your root system. But when it starts getting thicker than that, it becomes detrimental. Insects will come into play, and it will prevent water from getting through, as well as any fertilizer or chemicals you spray."

Liguori recommends aerating or de-thatching your lawn once about every other year, based on your thatch-layer level. Lawns are aerated with a bladed machine that lifts the dead matter out and brings it to the surface, where it's gathered with a rake or blower and discarded.

There's also "core" aeration, which differs somewhat from surface aeration treatments. "[Core aeration] is where you use a spiked roller to pull out plugs of soil," says Hellerick. "That allows water, oxygen and fertilizer into the soil itself. Also, doing some top dressing with organic compost helps to build up the soil and give it some additional fertilization."

Watering Right

Everyone knows that water is vital to having a healthy lawn. But where opinions differ is how a lawn should be watered. The time of day and the duration of each watering may depend on your landscaper's philosophy.

"Most people like to water 10 minutes a day," Liguori says. "And that's a misconception. In order to provide [proper] watering, you should water between one and two inches of water per week." To achieve this, Liguori recommends two deep waterings per week, about an inch at a time each.

"By putting down a lot of water at a time, you allow the water to seep deep into the soil. That trains the root system to stay where it belongs—six or seven inches below the dirt. If you water five to 10 minutes a day, the water will stay in the first-quarter portion of the soil, and your root system, which is supposed to be six to seven inches below the soil, is now climbing to the surface to get the water. When that happens, the root systems become more susceptible to heat damage because they're right on top."

Early in the morning is the time to water. According to Linda Kraft of Meticulous Landscaping in Waretown, the best time to water is between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Liguori suggests between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m.—which probably sounds more palatable to most groundskeepers and residents alike.

"The reason you want to [water in the morning] is that there's less evaporation and less wind," Kraft says. "The water is able to seep fully into the ground, and it won't stay on top [and stagnate], which can cause disease. If you water at say 4, 5, or 6 in the afternoon, that water will stay in your soil throughout the whole night." As a result, she says, funguses can start to develop.

Mow-Town

When it comes to mowing, Liguori has a simple, but important guideline.

"You have to mow your grounds often enough to remove no more than a third of the leaf blade," he says.

"There are different types of grasses," adds Hellerick, "but most people cut it about an inch and a half to two inches. For large areas, we like to cut it a little longer, because the longer the grass is—to a point, of course—the fewer weeds you will have. Taller grass will actually shade out potential weed seeds and keep them from germinating. If it was cut at two-and-a-half to three inches, that would be ideal."

That means there may be some weeks, especially in the early, spring, when lawns require two mowings a week. Later in the summer, the grass may need to be cut every 10 days or every other week, then back to once a week in the fall. Even though this is optimal, Liguori says most developments choose to have their lawns mowed once a week.

And as for crabgrass, the perennial foe of every gardener, landscaper, and weekend weed-warrior, Hellerick says, "You see that in the summertime, more on edges of walkways and roadways where the turf has been damaged by snow-melting products like salt. The turf is a little thinner there, so there are more opportunities for the weeds to establish themselves. Again, it goes back to good cultural practices—if your turf is thinner, you're going to have more weeds. You can build up thin turf by planting more grass seed."

What About the Weeds?

Weeds are the bane of anyone who wants a healthy-looking lawn. According to Liguori, the most common, most despised weed is the dandelion, because they're so prolific—one plant can produce hundreds of new plants—but that they are easy to control with a herbicide.

Crabgrass can be trickier. Unlike dandelions, which can be controlled after they grow, Liguori says crabgrass needs to be dealt with before it arrives because it grows far more prolifically than even dandelions do.

And there are other opportunistic weeds just waiting to sneak onto your property that you've probably never heard of. "In the summertime, in July and August, nutsedge can be a problem," says Hellerick. "That's a very vigorous-growing weed. It's a light-colored weed you'll see in July and August after it's rained a lot."

Dealing with heartier, more determined pest plants often means using a chemical called a pre-emergent. According to Liguori, a pre-emergent will form a barrier on top of the lawn that lasts about 90 and 120 days and squashes nuisance weeds before they even get a chance to break through the surface.

About six weeks after laying down an application of pre-emergents in the early spring, Kraft says a second fertilization with a pre-emergent will be applied. Then in June, a post-emergent weed control will be put down on the lawn. Even though pre-emergents limit the growth of weeds, some will always survive—that's why the post-emergents are needed.

The next step, according to Kraft, is an insect- and grub-control application in July and August. Follow those up with a fall fertilization in the fall and a pre-winter fertilization in November, and pests issues should be kept to a minimum.

The Chemical Solution

Of course, with all this talk of chemical treatments for lawns and gardens comes the issue of safety and toxic substances. According to Kraft, each chemical in the professional landscaper's arsenal has its pros and cons, and Kraft says it's important to determine what the right chemical is for each job.

"The first rule is using the right chemical," she says. "You want to get the right chemical for the right weed, and the right chemical for the right insect. You have to identify your problem first, then find the correct chemical to deal with it."

Kraft says all chemicals are relatively safe, as long as they are used properly. She adds that she provides 48-hour notice to communities prior to applying any kind of chemical to their green areas. After chemicals are applied, residents are told to stay off lawns for another 24 hours.

Seasonal Steps

Different landscapers may take slightly different approaches, but Liguori says there are certain things all landscapers should do as a standard practice.

"Most [weed problems] can be prevented, or at least minimized," says Hellerick. "You can never get 100 percent, but through good horticultural practices, you can reduce them. The problem is a lot of sites where landscapers are working, it may be a new site where the soil is rather poor—so you have to work with what you have. But if you have poor soil, you're going to have a poor stand-up turf and you are going to have more weeds."

"The key is to provide your lawn with a stable amount of nutrients throughout the fall season," Liguori adds. "When the wintertime comes, it's a very good practice to apply a balanced fertilizer—almost like a winterizer. It prepares your lawn for the winter season."

Liguori says lawns essentially shut down for the winter, but that "There's a lot going on, on the bottom…where the grass is preparing itself for the winter season. So you apply the winterizer in late October or early November, when the temperature starts getting cold." This provides the turf with nutrients to keep it healthy during the winter. "When spring arrives the next year, your lawn will break out of its 'dormant' [stage] quicker. It will turn greener more quickly because of the nutrients."

Hellerick advocates fertilizing grounds two or three times a year, depending on whether the turf is irrigated. "You can use a slow-release fertilizer so that you get the most bang for your buck, because it will be released over a longer period of time."

Even with the help of a crack team of landscaping experts, there's a little bad news in regards to the generally good weather the northeast saw this winter. The mild winter Jersey has been experiencing could have an effect on lawns when spring rolls around. Liguori says the warm temperatures could mean more insects that can damage lawns.

"It's expected that a percentage of [insect] eggs are killed when it's very cold," he says. "But we're having a mild winter, so you can expect a lot of insects this spring. I'm expecting to have a problem with certain types of insects."

Working with Pros

On the whole though, having lush, green lawns sprawling in every direction around your HOA's buildings is a matter of hiring the right professionals who have the experience and know-how to apply the proper treatments and procedures at the proper time.

It may also be a matter of patience. When a new landscaping company comes on the property—or an association hires a professional landscaper for the first time—it can take a while for the benefits to become apparent, especially if the property suffers from poor soil quality or horticultural neglect. Sometimes, in particularly dire situations, the landscaper may have to start from the beginning.

"It depends," says Hellerick. "You need to have an evaluation of the property. If there's more than 50 percent weeds, it's probably a good idea to start over from scratch, and go back and really prepare the soil properly."

And while the issue of having weeds on your HOA's grounds is largely one of aesthetics, Hellerick says there are other concerns as well.

"I think a lot of it is aesthetics," he says, "But there are some weeds that cause allergies—things like ragweed and some other grasses. Just doing really good horticultural practices is the best way to get rid of weeds. Because if you have a really good, thick, stand-up turf, the weeds don't have a place to start. For the most part, it's an aesthetic thing—everybody wants a neat and perfect lawn."

Anthony Stoeckert is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The New Jersey Cooperator.