The months of March and April are the best times to prepare your lawn for the rest of the summer. The coldest months are behind us, temperatures are warming up and everything is beginning to grow again. Lawn care can feel daunting in spring as you begin to focus on cleaning up what’s left of winter and prep your lawn for its best season, but it doesn’t have to be. With Ned Stevens’ tips on lawn care for spring, you can truly enjoy getting a dose of fresh, spring air and sunshine while you get your lawn on track for its healthiest season yet.
Getting Your Tools Ready
Maintaining a beautiful, healthy, perfectly manicured lawn begins with the tools necessary to make it so. Early spring is the best time to make sure your lawn care gadgets are up to the task. Make sure to tune up your mower by changing the oil, air filter and spark plug. Clean off all the dirt, dust and oil from winter and last summer by cleaning both the top and undercarriage and removing any leftover dirt or lawn clippings. Check the blades of your mower for any large nicks or gouges or any significant dulling. And, of course, make sure you have enough fuel on hand to fill up the tank.
It’s equally important to check your irrigation system whether it’s a sprinkler system or your hose, or both. Make sure your hose hasn’t suffered any cracking or UV damage over the winter. Check the couplings and washers at each end for damage and replace if necessary.
Clean Up Your Yard
Winter’s seasonal climate can alter the pH of your lawn’s soil. It can also compact the soil and create conditions that are favorable for weeds and disease. Spring is the crucial time to properly clean your yard by thoroughly raking away any sticks, leaves, branches and other debris. Fertilize and mow your yard early in the season to figure out if there are any bare spots or invasive plants that need to be taken care of. Look for uneven ground: low points can cause water to pool whereas high points can be a problem for your lawnmower. Use a shovel to even out your uneven patches.
Prep Your Soil
One of the biggest spring lawn concerns is soil compaction. Compaction occurs when the soil becomes too densely packed. This makes it more difficult for grass to take root and easier for hardier weeds to take over. Compaction is easy to test for: stick a garden fork into your lawn’s soil and if you can’t insert the tines 2 inches into your soil, you know you have a compaction problem. This is easily solved through the use of an aerator.
Watering The Right Way For Spring
It is important to follow a watering schedule in the summer to both make sure your lawn doesn’t dry up too much in the heat while also making sure you are conserving water. In the spring, watering your lawn is a little bit different. Holding off on watering in the beginning of spring is actually recommended. Early in the season you don’t need to rush to water your lawn. Since the roots grow first when the grass begins to grow, it is actually better if the ground is a little dry, allowing the roots to grow deep into the soil. It’s these deep roots that help your lawn to survive those scorching hot months.
