Can you feel it?! Spring is getting closer! The sun is out longer. The snow is melting away. The summer TV ads are in full swing. Heck, I even saw my neighbor pulling out his grill and cleaning it!
Early spring is a time when a lot of people start getting excited about their lawns and gardens. The garden centers start to get busy, and you start to see people hauling mulch and soil bags out of their trunks.
So I’ve took some time to cultivate 😉 some spring lawn care tips for early spring. Hope you take use of them and see the benefits later on!
7 rock solid spring lawn care tips - ascend your yard into greatness this spring!
- Tread Lightly, Early – If you are going to get out there in the early spring, make sure you understand that your grass and gardens are very tender. The top inch or two might be thawed during the day, but underneath can still be frozen rock hard. Too much traffic and those deep roots can get torn apart. Early morning, when the top layer is still stiff from the cold night is a better time to do a lot of walking on your lawn.
- Survey Your Lawn – Take a walk around your lawn and survey it for trouble spots. Now might not be the time to rake away the leaves of past fall, but taking a look around your yard will help you assess areas that will soon need your attention. Bring a pad of paper with so that you can write down things you might need in order to tackle the troubled areas in the weeks to come. Grass seed, fertilizer, new edging, or a bag of soil to patch up a low spot might be things to consider putting on this list.
- Garden Beds – Not the one in your bedroom. Your garden beds! Spring is a great time to take care of things you didn’t last fall, but be mindful of the weather. If you still have big temperature swings, dipping into freezing at night, hold off on the heavy work – and don’t uncover your beds until temps at night stay away from frost and freezing. Also make sure that the ground has thawed to not damage roots. Do you have Hostas? If you didn’t cut them back in the late fall/early winter, you can do it now!
- Trim It – Early spring is a great time to trim trees, bushes and branches. Get at those dead limbs and brown spots on your shrubbery! If you have a hedge maze, may I suggest hiring a local lawn care company?
- Assault Aggressive Weeds – Dealing with crabgrass, dandelions, and other invasive and unwanted weeds now is a great way to curb their growth. But don’t use the weed killer yet. Using chemicals right now is a waste of your money and can inhibit growth of the good stuff. One exception (if you don’t plan to seed/overseed) is to use a “pre-emergent” herbicide that will inhibit weed seed growth. The best course of action, unfortunately, is to get them at their source by digging them up by the roots.
- Patio/Deck Areas – Bust out that pressure washer!! It’s time to clean off the patio furniture, rinse off the deck, and get the summer fun lights and yard globes out! Even though we may have another snow storm. My motto is “It’s never too soon to start planning for fun!”
- Pre-Emergent Weed Control – I mentioned this before, and this is important – Get a head start on invasive weeds this season by applying pre-emergent weed control. Pre-emergents have active ingredients that target those pesky weeds like crabgrass. They create a barrier and inhibit germination
Bonus Tips!
Is Your Lawn Mower Running? – Well, you better go catch it! 😀😀 (I couldn’t resist) All those cold winter months do bad things to your lawn mower and other summer small engine equipment. Old gas gums up your engine’s carburetor; bolts and springs rust and give a good reason to break; and small animals can make nice little nests up inside your equipment’s housing. Make sure to check if your lawn mower will start so that you are ready for that first mowing. Better yet, get a tune up including an oil change. (Manufacturers recommend changing oil every 20 hours of use.)
Don’t Wait! – Get a Tune Up Now – Spring is one of the busiest times of year for small engine repair shops. Having your equipment fixed before the rush is the pro move. Most shops have 3-4 week turnaround times when business is at its peak. A foolproof way to be ready is to get your equipment tuned up now! Your engine will be happier and start up on that first pull come mowing time!
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If you are in the Twin Cities and looking for an easy way to get your lawn mower ready for the summer, why not schedule a tune up with Matt’s? Free Pick Up and Delivery. Mobile Service. Affordable Service! Click to learn more!
