Soon enough, the days will warm up, the snow will be melted, and it will be time to start caring for your lawn and property again. Don’t let the Spring hit you by surprise! Implement these steps to have the lawn you want this season!
Tip #1 – Rake and Remove 🧹
Raking isn’t just for Fall leaves. Giving your lawn a leg up is all about starting with the cleanest slate possible. The lawn has been sitting under snow for the majority of the winter, and it needs a breathe. It’s possible you left the leaves on the lawn last Fall, which is fine, but now is the time to get those off the lawn. It’s just like waking up in the morning and getting out from under the heavy covers. Your body can finally breathe. Raking all the leaves and debris piled up from the last 3-4 months is going to allow your lawn to breathe, and lifting the grass blades will allow oxygen and water to flow more freely.
Speaking of raking, power raking or dethaching is also a great way to allow your lawn to air out and receive much awaited oxygen and nutrients. The layer of thatch on your lawn is from organic material that has built up over time. While a small layer of thatch isn’t a bad thing and can actually be protective for your lawn, a thick layer of thatch can cause issues. A thick layer of thatch will trap moisture and choke out your lawn. The Spring is a fantastic time to dethatch your lawn and get that extra junk out of there.
Tip #2 – Tune Up the Tools 🛠
By this point in the year, all of your equipment has been sitting out in the garage or shed. Most likely experiencing colder than normal temperatures. It’s time to pull out the mower, edger and weed eater and make sure everything is running properly. If you have equipment that runs on gas, it’s best to check the oil level, filters and put fresh fuel in the engine. Make sure your weed eater has a full amount of string and make sure the mower blade is sharp.
A dull mower blade will tear at blades of grass, when it should be cutting the grass blades. This can cause damage to your grass. If you have battery powered equipment, make sure you put those batteries on the charger and they receive a full charge. The cold temperatures suck the life out of batteries.
Tip #3 – Game Plan 🗓
The beginning of the Spring is the best time to write down the things you need to do to care for your lawn. This consists of a general outline of the type of fertilizers and weed control products you are going to use, and the timing of when they need to be used. You need to understand how your lawn works and timing and how it changes through out the season in order to make the best game plan. If you are looking for more tips on how to understand your lawn, check out our 3 part series on “Your Lawn and Your Body” where we draw similarities between the two. The first part is all about making a plan, you can find it here.
Tip #4 – Soil Test 🧬
Part of making a plan in tip number three, is knowing the make up of your soil. Healthy soil is going to produce a healthy stand of grass. If your soil sucks, so will your grass. Take a soil test to find out where your lawn is strong and where it is lacking. These tests often come with recommendations on what fertilizers your grass needs and which nutrients would help it improve. It will also tell you your soil pH level. This level is important, because if it isn’t in the proper range, then your lawn will not take in the fertilizers you feed it. If you want to make things simple, contact us and let us know you would like a soil test. We can take the samples for you and send the results right to your email, letting you know our professional opinion of best next steps.
Tip #5 – Aerate 🌱
Aerating is one of those things where you can do at any point in the season. It’s most commonly done in the Fall because it is paired with overseeding. However, you will also get great results from aerating in the Spring. Aerating, paired with detatching is going to allow greater oxygen, water and nutrient absorption and allow for new root development.
Developing a deep, robust root system is going to allow your lawn to store and hold more nutrients and water through out season, in turn making it even more healthy. To learn more about aeration, check out our lawn lesson all about it.
Take Action 🤜🏼
These 5 tips are not all of the things you can do this Spring to have a great lawn, but they are the essentials. The important part is to take action. Read up on how to care for your lawn and then take the steps you need to take to help it improve. The Spring is the most opportunistic and most forgiving time of the year. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn. Most importantly, don’t stress out. Take time to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy taking care of your lawn.
