With the weather clearing up and temperatures getting a bit warmer, there are a lot of things to be excited about once winter is officially over. Unfortunately, spring cleaning may be one of the activities you won’t look forward to doing once the season changes.
Cleaning all the rooms in your home from top to bottom is something that no one enjoys doing. But the work doesn’t stop indoors; you also have to nurse your lawn back and make it green, beautiful, and ready for summer.
Prominent lawn care pros in St. Peters, Missouri say that during the last days of winter, there are a few things you can do to start preparing your lawn for spring. By following some simple tips, you can avoid a muddy and messy disaster zone later that will be harder to tidy up and revive.
Moreover, you will be able to set up your lawn for improved vigor for the weeks ahead so that you and your family can enjoy the outdoors and the improved weather at the soonest possible time.
Below are the six best tips for repairing and improving your lawn before spring arrives:
1. Check your equipment and supplies
To avoid getting disrupted while working on your lawn, ensure that all your gardening tools and machines are in tip-top shape. Make sure you have the products you need to nurse your yard back to shape.
Inspect your lawnmower first. Check if it is working properly. Next, change the fuel, oil, and spark plug so you can be sure to have a machine that works well for the coming weeks.
Check the blades, too. They need to be sharp so that you can get even cuts, which will be better for the health and growth of your grass.
If you don’t know how to check your mower, bring your equipment to a specialty shop that can do this. They have mechanics that can tune up your machine and make the necessary repairs or part replacements. They will also sharpen or change the blades if needed.
Also, take a look at your garden hose and ensure it does not have any holes. Additionally, check all your gardening tools. Start by cleaning, sharpening, and oiling your pruning shears. If you are running low on fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and other supplies, purchase them beforehand, too.
2. Clean your lawn
As soon as the weather clears up and the ground thaws out, tidy up your yard.
Use a rake to remove dead leaves, twigs, and other smaller debris. Remove larger branches from the ground. Place all these natural litter in your compost bin so that you can use the end product later on.
By clearing your lawn, you will find it easier to do a general inspection of your soil, grass, trees, shrubs, and other garden structures. And this will give you an idea of everything you need to do to restore your yard come spring.
3. Rake your grass
Raking is one of the most important gardening chores you have to do pre-spring. Aside from removing dead leaves and twigs, doing this simple task will allow you to wake up your grass and encourage them to start growing again.
Additionally, raking will help you control thatch build-up. This unhealthy growth in your lawn prevents the grass and other plants from getting oxygen and sunlight.
To get rid of thatch, deep-rake your lawn. Scraping the surface won’t help you remove these unhealthy patches on your turf.
While doing this chore, be on the lookout for snow molds, which look like grey or pink webs over matted blades of grass. If you don’t remove them, new grass will have difficulty penetrating these areas. A good, deep raking will also help get rid of them.
4. Start getting rid of weeds
During winter, some weeds may have survived and grown on your lawn as a result of being blown-in or lying dormant.
If you see any large weeds, pull them out manually. For flat and grass types, mow them over.
In case your lawn is overgrown with weeds, consider using an organic herbicide. Make sure you follow the directions for applying the product so that you only get rid of the unwanted plants and not any surviving grasses.
Another safer and better option is to call lawn care pros to get rid of the weeds properly.
Removing all weeds before they spread or go to seed before spring is crucial if you want to have a healthy, lovely lawn again. As such, don’t neglect this important lawn care task.
5. Trim the shrubs and trees
Lawn care specialists from Chesterfield, Missouri say that pruning your plants as the grounds and plants start to thaw out is a good outdoor spring sprucing-up tip to follow.
When you trim and remove the dead branches and parts of shrubs and trees, you will encourage their healthy growth in the spring. Additionally, you will have something less tiring to do during this season.
However, make sure you are careful about trimming growth. Avoid pruning new growth since you want them to be healthy enough to sustain themselves in case of a second cold snap.
If you don’t want to do more damage than good to your plants when trimming, leave this task to professionals, especially when pruning tree branches.
6. Rethink your lawn mowing practices
Lastly, before mowing the yard becomes a regular gardening chore during spring and summer, take the time to review your strategies and practices.
The right mowing practices will help you keep a healthy and beautiful yard. If you find it difficult to get that great-looking turf you’ve always wanted, you may want to look into how you do this chore.
Start by creating a mowing schedule for spring. Remember to avoid starting early since this can cause the grass to bunch together and prevent the growth of new plants.
The safest time to start mowing is two weeks after plants start germinating post-winter.
On your first mow, set the mowing height about half an inch lower than normal to break up leaves, twigs, and other natural light debris.
After the first mow, set the mowing height back up to regular to avoid injuring your turf and leaving an opening for other weeds to settle in.
Other practices you have to remember to include mowing your lawn frequently, cutting off only a third of the blades every time (since trimming it shorter puts unnecessary strain on your yard), and leaving the clippings behind so that they can act as natural fertilizers.
By getting an early jumpstart on your spring lawn care chores, you will have fewer things to do once the weather clears up. And because of this, you will end up spending more time enjoying the outdoors.