Every spring in Birmingham, you’ll start noticing something around the neighborhood. After the first warm spell, some lawns suddenly look green while others are still completely brown. If your lawn hasn’t started greening up yet, you might wonder if something is wrong.
In Alabama, warm spells in late winter and early spring often trigger weed growth before warm-season grasses begin waking up. Lawns that appear green in March may actually be full of early weeds, while lawns that received proper weed prevention may still be dormant.
Why Some Lawns Look Green in Early Spring
There are a few common reasons lawns across Birmingham look so different from one yard to the next during this time of year.
Early Spring Weeds
Several weeds begin growing as soon as we get a few warm days. Some of the most common ones in Alabama lawns include poa annua (annual bluegrass), chickweed, and henbit.
These weeds grow quickly and can give a lawn a green appearance even though the turfgrass underneath hasn’t started growing yet.
Cool-Season Grass
Some properties in the Birmingham area have tall fescue lawns. Fescue is a cool-season grass, which means it stays green through much of the winter and early spring. These lawns will naturally look greener earlier in the season than warm-season lawns.
Dormant Warm-Season Grass
Most lawns in Birmingham are warm-season grasses such as Bermuda, Zoysia, or Centipede. These grasses stay dormant through winter and don’t begin greening up until soil temperatures warm consistently.
In most years, that happens sometime between late March and mid-April.
Why Lawns on a Turf Management Program May Still Be Brown
If your lawn is part of a Steven’s Wack-n-Sack turf management program, you may notice that it stays brown longer than some of the lawns around you. In many cases, that’s actually a good sign.
Our turf management program includes pre-emergent weed control treatments that prevent many of the early weeds that make lawns appear green this time of year. When those weeds are suppressed, the lawn may remain dormant until the grass itself begins growing.
So while other lawns may look greener right now, that color is often coming from weeds rather than healthy turf.
When Birmingham Lawns Typically Green Up
Warm-season grasses begin greening up once soil temperatures reach the right range and stay there consistently.
Typical green-up timing in the Birmingham area looks like this:
- Bermuda grass: Late March into April
- Zoysia grass: Early to mid-April
- Centipede grass: Mid-April
Weather patterns can shift those dates slightly each year, but most lawns won’t fully green up until true spring temperatures arrive.
Signs Your Lawn Is Actually Waking Up
When warm-season grass begins growing again, the change is usually noticeable. Instead of scattered green patches, the lawn starts developing a more consistent color and new shoots appear throughout the turf.
You’ll also begin seeing enough growth that mowing becomes necessary again. This is where spring cut downs begin.
If Your Lawn Is Green With Weeds
If your lawn already looks green this early in the season, and you don’t have a cool season grass, there’s a good chance weeds are responsible for that color. While they may make the yard look greener for a short time, those weeds often become a bigger problem later in the season.
A professional turf management program focuses on preventing weeds before they take over and helping the lawn grow in thicker and healthier.
The Steven’s Wack-n-Sack Turf Management Program is designed specifically for lawns in the Birmingham area, with treatments timed for Alabama growing conditions.
If your lawn is already greening up with weeds, now is the time to get ahead of the problem. Contact Steven’s Wack-n-Sack to learn more about our turf management program and keep your lawn looking its best throughout the growing season.
