As February ends and March begins, it becomes the ideal time to start a healthy lawn. It is important to take advantage of this window between Winter and Spring to simply prepare your lawn for sunny Springtime! These preparation methods will ensure that your yard is healthy and at its max during Spring.
Important steps include:
- raking your yard to get rid of wintertime mold, overseeding to increase your springtime results.
- aerate your soil, so it can regain nutrients.
- weed your lawn and prevent any unwanted weeds from taking over in the warmer weather.
- use some pre-emergent herbicides as weeds will begin to grow in spring.
- spread some mulch to prevent further weeds from adding some lovely shape to your yard.
Taking these steps in early spring will ensure your yard and garden will be healthy and weed-free!
Raking
Raking is most commonly thought of as an Autumn chore, yet it is an important thing to do before spring. Raking before spring will rid your yard of grass that died in winter and remaining autumn leaves. These dead pieces of grass will become a part of your grass’s thatch layer which can be difficult to manage.
Similarly, pre-spring raking will loosen large pieces of matted grass that formed in the winter due to moisture from the snow. Similarly, these patches of matted grass can smooth potential new patches of grass. When raking in the spring, make sure to rake when the soil is dry and not too muddy and rake in an upward motion to remove dead grass and prevent damaging any additional new patches of grass. Raking is an important chore in spring as well.
Overseeding
Overseeding is another element of yard maintenance that typically takes place in Autumn, but the window of mild weather between Winter and Spring makes for another good time to start seeding. It is great for a yard that is not in its best shape and lacks grass in a few patches. Overseeding is the process of planting seeds over existing yards of grass and it helps to keep your lawn thick and healthy. After planting the seeds you want to use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and keep the new seeds moist until it has sprouted and you can use a normal fast-release nitrogen fertilizer. Overseeding is a great way to keep your yard looking healthy and to fill in some bare patches.
Core Aeration
As areas of your lawn deal with heavy foot traffic, the soil overtime will become compacted and grass will be unable to grow. Aeration is a way to combat compacted soil, as it reverses compacted soil by removing some soil and allowing for water, air, and nutrients to revitalize the earth. Aerating is best done in late spring and early summer for warm-season grass, while it is ideal to aerate cold season grasses in fall and early spring. The methods of aeration vary depending on the various factors of your lawn, so be sure to look up the best techniques for your yard!
Weeding
Spring is the season of new growth, so as your new crops grow, so will seasonal weeds. Therefore before the arrival of spring it is important to remove weeds from your lawn. You can remove specific weeds by snipping off the flower stems so they cannot produce seeds and sprout even more weeds. You can also manually remove the weed from the roots and prevent it from growing. Springtime weeds you need to look out for are: dandelions, crabgrass, chickweed, wild violets, and white clovers.
Herbicide Application
Another way to combat Springtime weeds is through using a herbicide. A great way to get a headstart against weeds is through applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early Spring. These herbicides act before unwanted seeds begin to grow. It forms a chemical barrier in the topmost layer of the soil and covers weed seeds making them unable to grow and reproduce. These pre-emergent herbicides are ideal to use in early spring, as many weeds such as crabgrass and dandelion will begin to grow in this period of warm weather, so it is best to act quickly. These weeds can cover most of your lawn and be a pain to get rid of in the hot summer months.
Fertilizing
A great way to keep your yard healthy in the springtime is by applying fertilizer. You want to apply fertilizer a bit later in the spring, around three weeks after your grass begins to green. Getting the perfect time to start using a fertilizer can be difficult, as starting too early will cause you to feed the budding weeds and create fertilizer run-off. Experts typically recommend a light fertilizer during the springtime, as stated earlier that too much fertilizer can cause your weeds to grow faster and diseases in your yard. It is ideal to start a heavier fertilizer in late fall for cool-season grasses, as these will keep them strong through winter.
Mulching
Mulch is an important element of any garden and it is ideal to place it in the springtime. Mulch can help prevent additional weeds from growing and keep the temperature of your soil ideal. Mulch is also very helpful for retaining moisture from within the soil and being aesthetically pleasing for your yard. Mulching is very beneficial for your yard, so consider buying some from Saunders Landscape Supply. They have a wide variety of mulches to suit your lawn’s needs.
Spring is often associated with the blooming of beautiful flowers and therefore it is important to get a headstart on lawn maintenance and gardening before the season. It is important to rake away the harsh elements of winter to allow the soil to grow. Early spring is also an important time to begin overseeding your lawn, especially if there are some bare patches. Similarly you can aerate your yard to combat empty patches of grass. Spring is the time of new growth and that also includes weeds! Make sure to weed your yard often and apply some pre-emergent herbicides. Other ways to keep your garden healthy in the springtime include adding fertilizer and mulch!