Applying it now allows it to break down and change the soil pH for the warm spring days to come just when your grass starts to break out of dormancy. Waiting until later in the spring could possibly burn actively growing grass.
Thinking about Scalping Your Lawn? Please don’t just yet.
With the warm days that we’ve recently had in the metro Atlanta area, you might feel that temptation to get out and scalp your Bermuda or Zoysia turf in preparation for spring. Please don’t. Scalping it too soon could cause it to green up prematurely, leaving it susceptible to cold damage when February and March roll around. Lightly mowing over the top to even out the turf is okay, but wait until late February or early March before you get to the point of lowering the turf to the ground.