Spring Lawn HEALTH Care With Your Home in Mind
While the frost may have just broken and the rain started rolling in, it’s important to have the future of your “curb appeal” in mind. Green grass, healthy trees and beautiful flowers are some of the greatest things to walk outside and find. In celebration of National Lawn Care Month, we’ve compiled a list from our experts together to bring you five spring lawn health care tips to set up your lawn for success.
1. Rake Your Yard After the Soil Dries
Taking care not to start too early in the year, you’ll want to clear away any debris from the winter. Leaves, sticks and sometimes even dirt can be thrown onto your yard over the winter from storms and plows. It’s important to wait until the soil has dried out enough so as not to be moved around by a yard rake.
This important timing factor prevents you from damaging the roots of your grass. Rake too early, when the ground is soft, and you may pull and uproot your grass. Your turf needs light and air. So when the time is right, raking small problem areas due to winter issues such as snow mold, dog spots, and matted thatch from snow weight will improve the effectiveness of your spring lawn application. Be sure to collect any leftover leaves and twigs for composting.
2. Begin Mowing as Soon as Your Lawn Needs It
Mowing can’t come soon enough for your winter-worn lawn. Once your grass is green, and mower wheels can turn in it without causing damage to the ground, it’s time to mow. It’s important to keep the length a little long for the first mow to strengthen the roots of your grass and give it the best chance to make it through the hot summer. When do you need to water? A good rule of thumb is to start watering once the temperature gets above 70 degrees. If temperatures exceed 70 degrees in the next ten days, you should water your yard. If temperatures stay below 70 degrees, watering isn’t necessary.
3. Watch for These Signs of Disease in Your Trees
Tree care is one of the most important investments you can make in your property. If properly maintained, a healthy tree increases in value as it ages, adding to your property value, beautifying your neighborhood, purifying the air, and saving energy by providing shade in the summer and a wind break during the winter.
Your trees are a source of shade and beauty for your yard. Trees are independent enough to take care of themselves, but it’s crucial to be aware of their changing health over time. If it’s your first spring and summer in the home, get to know your trees. Learn about what they look like when they’re healthy and keep an eye out for these distress signs:
- Do they gain and lose their leaves at the same time each year?
- Are the leaves being eaten by insects in between the leaf veins causing the foliage to look similar to lace?
- Do they lose branches at an alarming rate?
- Are there discolored leaves, spots of red or brown where they should be green?
If you ever need help determining the health of your trees, visit our Tree and Plant Care page.
4. Wait a Few Weeks to Prune and Shape Bushes, Shrubs and Flowers
Bushes, shrubs and flowers all go a long way to help your lawn look beautiful. Pruning and shaping bushes, as well as weeding around flowers, can make your lawn healthier overall. Give your bushes and shrubs a couple of weeks to grow before pruning.
5. Mulch After the Ground Dries to Prevent Mold
Wait until the ground has warmed, and after existing moisture is almost gone, apply a new layer of mulch to your flower beds. Mulch offers great colors to frame and accentuate your flowers and bushes while preventing weed growth by blocking out the sun. It also helps reduce fluctuations in your soil temperatures and will slowly break down into the soil, adding nutrients. Beware though, mulch that has been applied too early will hold moisture and cause weed or mold growth over its lifetime.
