Can it be time for some spring lawn care? After a cold hard winter, nothing’s more exciting than seeing the first glimpses of spring around the corner. While many people may already be hard at work tidying up the inside of their homes, now is actually the perfect time to start focusing on the outside as well. That’s why this article is going to cover the top 7 spring lawn care tips for your backyard.
Just follow these tips to get your yard in great shape for the warmer weather ahead.
#1 – Clean Up Yard Debris
The first step to helping develop your beautiful yard is tidying up your lawn is to take an afternoon to truly clean up your backyard. Old Man Winter can bring lots of unwanted chaos to your property. Months of cold winds and harsh precipitation can send trash, broken limbs, gravel, and other eyesores right into your backyard. Before getting started on your other lawn care needs, take a walk around and pick up any debris left over from last season. Don’t forget any pet waste that’s accumulated over the winter. Leaving that behind can quickly lead to a patchy and unpleasant lawn no one will want to have a yard party on. You may also want to give your lawn a good raking to pick up leaves, pine cones, or other natural debris as well (just make sure you’re doing it dry because raking wet grass can damage your yard). Taking this simple step will not only keep your yard looking well-kept. But it will also help bring in more light for your grass and prevent bare patches from forming.
#2 – Plan Out Landscaping or Gardening Changes
Next up is planning out any changes you’d like to make to your landscaping or garden areas. Are you thinking about adding in a new flower garden? Want to plant a row of perennials along the side of your property? Is it finally time to add in that water feature you’ve been thinking about? Do your research and come to a decision soon, because oftentimes those changes will need to be prepped for early on. On top of that, you don’t want to spend days getting your yard ready only to have to relocate plants, tear up patches of grass, and undoing all your previous hard work in order to make that change.
#3 – Trim Down Ornamental Grasses
For ornamental grasses to flourish, old, dead stalks need to be cut back to allow for the new shoots to take their place. With ornamental grasses like monkey grass or mondo grass, you actually want to cut them down to as close to the soil as possible. On larger ornamental grasses like pampas grass or ornamental pennesitums you will want to trim down to about 20-24” tall. Pruning shears will work fine here but a hardy pair of kitchen scissors may actually make the task simpler.
Pro Tip: Before you start chopping, tie a piece of string around the tips of the grasses to keep all the stalks together. Think of making a pony tail. This simple little step turns a 30 minute job into a 5 minute job instead. Think of making a pony tail.
#4 – Lawn Aeration & Overseeding
While the ideal time for it is in the fall, you can actually still see some great benefits from aerating and seeding lawn in spring. Important to note you cannot actively control weeds and grow new grass from seed at the same time. 0As a refresher, aeration is the act of making small holes in your lawn to improve air flow and stimulate growth. Overseeding on the other hand is just what it sounds like—putting down more grass seed to help create that lush, vibrant green lawn your neighbors will be showing their envy towards your lawn. Both are often done at the same time (the aeration holes provide the perfect place for new shoots to sprout). That being said, there are a few aeration and overseeding pitfalls you’ll want to avoid along the way.
#5 – Tend to Bare Patches
Repairing lawn in the spring rather than waiting until later is a great way to help ensure your green grass comes in even and full. Take a moment to walk around your yard to find any bare patches to start working on and put them on your landscaping plan. Then, till up the soil throw down a little bit of fertilizer, and pop on some new seed. Be sure to keep patches moist to help spur on new growth. Filling in these bare patches will not only give your yard the cohesive look you’re after, it’ll also protect against aggravating crabgrass and other weeds from filling in the patch instead. You’ll also want to look into a robust fertilization and weed control program to help keep your lawn looking great.
#6 – Prepare Your Shrubs, Trees, & Perennials for New Growth
Next up, it’s pruning time! All good gardeners and homeowners worth their salt know that in order to pave the way for new growth, you need to clear away old, dead branches, stalks, and leaves. For semi-woody perennials, cut them back to about 4 inches tall. For broad-leaved evergreens, aim for injured foliage but wait until the summer to give it a good hedging. And for flowering trees, remove dead, damaged, or crowded stems now. You may also want to enlist the help of professional pruning and trimming services as these tasks being done correctly are critical to ensuring the best, healthiest growth for your plants.
#7 – Mulch & Trench Your Beds
Last but certainly not least, tend to your flower beds with a fresh layer of mulch and some trenching touch ups. Mulch provides a nutrient rich, visually appealing area for your plants to grow in. Most homes will need a new layer of mulch every year to ensure optimal growth. Plus, it looks great! Trenching is a way to separate your beds from the rest of your lawn. It helps prevent both grass and weeds from invading your beds. While you won’t have to dig a new one every single year, it’s a good idea to go around and give your trenches a bit of “touching up” to ensure they’re doing their job right.
Need Help? That’s What We’re Here For
Admittedly, proper early spring lawn care can take quite a bit of work. Plus, if you don’t have the know-how to do it right, you may actually be inhibiting proper growth of your backyard plants. If you want to skip the hassles and headaches of your spring lawn care, we can help.
We offer a wide range of landscape services including:
- Aeration and overseeding
- Fertilization and weed control
- Trimming
- Mulching
- Tree and shrub care
- Pest and mosquito control
- And much more
Just get in touch today and let us take care of all your lawn care needs and get your lawn treated in less than 72 hours.
And let us help you say goodbye to winter and hello to spring!
