When the weather starts to warm during spring, it’s the perfect time to get your lawn ready for the months ahead. But if you’ve dealt with heavy snow or overcast skies, your lawn might look patchy and neglected. Thankfully, your lawn can recover after a long winter when you treat it with care.
Read on to discover the key spring lawn care steps every homeowner should know.
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Start By Cleaning
You don’t want to pursue lawn aeration or grass fertilization until you’ve tidied up your lawn. Just make sure you’re working in your yard when it’s relatively dry. Walking on saturated soil can harm grass roots and create ruts.
On a dry day, spend time collecting old branches and dead leaves that could be covering parts of your lawn. You want to make it as easy as possible for your grass to access sunlight and grow.
Once you’ve removed the debris, assess your lawn. Some parts may be lush, but others could be bare or diseased. And you may notice crabgrass or other unwanted weeds taking hold of your lawn.
Use A Basic Soil Test
Do you know if your soil is too acidic? Or if you live in an older home, is your soil contaminated with lead? As part of your spring lawn care routine, use a good soil test to get answers to these questions and others.
You’ll be able to find out the pH level of your soil on a scale of 0 to 14. A number that’s far from 6.5 could mean you need to boost the nutrient levels of your soil.
You can learn how much nitrogen, potassium, and other macronutrients are present in your soil. And you’ll find out if essential organic matter is present. Decayed plant materials can contribute to better soil nutrition.
Overall, a soil test gives a snapshot of your soil’s current health. You may discover the presence of heavy metals or find acidity problems. With more precise information, you can make more helpful interventions.
Add Grass Seed
Your lawn may reveal some unsightly bare sections. Too much foot traffic, pests, and packed soil are among the factors that cause these spots to develop. Grass seed can help you revive your lawn when it gets patchy, but you’ll need to be careful with how you apply it.
Make sure to loosen your soil with a rake first. You can blend some compost with your grass seeds for additional nutrients. And make sure to choose a seed that works with your existing lawn and climate needs.
Spread the seed in rows, and then rake those areas. This will help push the seeds into the soil, but you don’t want them fully submerged. Add some soil or straw to the top of everything, and be diligent about watering.
The top layer of soil should be damp to help promote growth. Once you start to see sprouts, you can ease up on watering multiple times each day.
Look For The Right Fertilizer
Even with carefully applied grass seed, bare spots in your lawn may need extra help. Fertilizer can help supply extra nutrients so your grass is thick and healthy.
If your grass is damaged after bad weather or lots of foot traffic, fertilizer can speed up healing. It can make grass more resilient, too, and improve thickness.
Look for a fertilizer that works well given your current grass and soil. You can view these lawn fertilizer products online to select one that is suited to your lawn. Read the directions so you know how to apply the product, since too much fertilizer can actually cause more damage.
Stop Weeds Before They Spread
Don’t be surprised to find weeds popping up in your lawn during spring. Weeds can starve your grass of critical water and nutrients. And they can prevent sunlight from reaching your grass.
When weeds spread, they spread quickly. They’ll ruin the appearance of your lawn since they can grow to different heights and have different textures than your grass. You want to act quickly when you see weeds growing in your lawn.
Plan on walking through your lawn a few times each week as part of your turf maintenance checklist. Remove weeds by carefully pulling them at the root. Sometimes, quick action is enough to keep them from spreading, though more widespread weeds will require treatment.
Mow Grass The Right Way
While it’s exciting to see new grass sprouting as your lawn comes back to life in the spring, you’ll need to maintain it, too. And that effort starts with mowing.
Mowing seems simple enough, but you need to be mindful of how short you’re cutting the grass. If cut too short, your grass might have shallow roots.
Keep a sharp blade to avoid tearing your grass. Cutting grass with a dull blade can cause rough edges that lose moisture. Further, the tips of your grass blades may turn brown or yellow, weakening the visual appeal of your lawn.
Always mow grass that’s mostly dry, as well. Mowing wet grass can lead to bent blades and soil compaction. With the right approach, you can keep your lawn healthy and boost your property’s curb appeal.
Breathe New Life Into Your Lawn
Even if your springtime lawn looks messy or bare, you can resurrect it with some careful maintenance. Remove debris from your lawn, test your soil, and apply grass seed. Introduce fertilizer and a regular watering schedule to give your lawn the best chance of thriving.
When you’re diligent about caring for your lawn, you can help new grass sprout and keep the weeds at bay.
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
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