Tips For The Spring

At times, people may wonder why their neighbor’s lawn looks healthier, strong and more beautiful than theirs. Chances are the neighbor cares for and maintains their lawn better than the person who’s lawn might not be so nice and beautiful.

All the same, there are certain keys to the strong, healthy, beautiful lawn that you need. Along with these keys, there are steps that you need to do for the entire lawn care season.

lawn care

Here are the lawn care tips for spring:

The first thing that you will do is remove the old dead leaves from last fall. You can rake the leaves or remove the old leaves from the lawn with a bagger attachment. Always dispose of leaves, and lawn clippings properly for your area. Some areas only accept lawn debris at certain times of the year so check with your city or county to make sure they accept them. You can also put them into a compost area for use in your garden.

rake leaves
The second step is to roll the lawn. Rolling the lawn is important as it smooths out the ground and removes the bumps making your lawn not only easier but safer to mow. It is actually best to roll the lawn front to back, diagonally twice and the second time being the opposite diagonal of the previous.

Next, you will want to dethatch your lawn. Dethatching is the process of removing thatch, which is basically the leftover dead lawn clippings from your lawn. This process can be done along with a rake. The other way you can do dethatching is to buy a dethatcher for your tractor or contact a lawn care provider that offers the service to do it for you.

For the fourth step is aeration. Hire a lawn care provider that offers the service to do it for you as a good aeration machine is quite expensive to purchase, and many of the products targeted for homeowners for aeration simply do not work. Here is a good way to know if know if your aeration product does not work, after you are done there is no plug laying on top of your lawn that was pulled out of the lawn. This step is very important and it is important to do it correctly using the proper machinery because it opens up your lawn for proper air, water, and fertilization flow through the ground and to your lawns roots.

This fifth step is called overseeding or re-seeding. This process involves spreading seed over your current lawn. Always use a spreader to ensure even distribution of the seeds so the lawn grows in evenly. Also, pick a seed that is designed for the area you are seeding and follow the directions on the bag as far as watering your new seeds. You will notice many of the grass seeds suggest using a starter fertilizer to help the seeds grow stronger and better.

If you are okay with using fertilizers do so about 3-4 weeks before aeration and overseeding but after steps 1, 2 and 3. Also if you are not going to do the fertilization you can combine steps 3, 4 and 5 in their proper order on the same day. Remember watering your lawn properly is a very important process that should be maintained season long, and always water new seeds as suggested on the bag of seeds.

The final step for spring is fertilization. You will want to use a weed and feed fertilizer if you plan on doing this step. If so, check the grass seed bag to see when they say it is okay to use a weed killing fertilizer. Always use a spreader or hire a professional when fertilizing and carefully follow all warnings and directions on the fertilizer container. Use gloves, change clothes when done, wear an old pair of closed toe shoes, and take a shower or bath following fertilizer application.

Keith Duncan Lawn Basics