As the weather begins to warm and days get longer, it’s important to begin preparing your yard for a healthy growing season. While factors including climate, soil type, and grass type can all impact how your yard grows, there are a few steps you can take during the spring months to help your lawn thrive.
Simple chores such as dethatching, aerating, fertilizing, and mowing can help ensure your yard looks its best and is prepared to fight off seasonal weeds, disease, and drought.
MAINTAIN YOUR MOWER
Before it’s time for the first mowing of the season, inspect your mower and perform any routine maintenance necessary. That goes beyond sharpening or replacing the blade. If you have a gas-powered mower, it also includes changing the oil, spark plugs, and filter as well as filling it with a fresh tank of gas.
LOOSEN THE THATCH LAYER
It is important to avoid working on your lawn until after the final freeze to avoid damaging the grass. When the threat of freeze is gone, rake your yard with a spring tine rake to loosen thatch — the layer of leaves, roots, and dead grass that builds up between live grass and soil. Do this before the first mow. Be sure to rake when the soil is dry; if it’s too soft or muddy, you may pull up healthy grass crowns.
COMBAT COMPACTED SOIL
If your soil has become compacted — likely the effect of heavy foot traffic — and is too dense for water, air, and other nutrients to reach the roots of your grass, aerating can help break it up and reduce thatch. A core or plug aerator can introduce tiny holes into your soil by removing plugs of grass and soil, which lets nutrients more easily reach the roots. A bonus to aerating: The plugs can decompose on top of your grass, supplying more nutrients.
START SEASONAL MOWING
When the ground is dry enough and your grass is long enough to require cutting, begin seasonal mowing. Be sure to use proper techniques, including varying your mowing direction each time to avoid creating patterns or ruts, and avoid cutting grass too low, which can make the lawn more susceptible to weeds and drought stress. In general, never remove more than one-third of the grass blade at a time.
Find more tips to help get your yard ready for warm weather at www.eLivingtoday.com.