Spring Lawn Care Checklist: How To Prepare For The Spring Warm-Up

Spring Lawn Care Checklist: How To Prepare For The Spring Warm-Up

Spring is in the air! This is the perfect time to tackle some of the chores around your landscape. With the nice weather and bright sunshine, you can get your property ready for the upcoming season. Once summer arrives, you will not have to worry about any of those labor-intensive maintenance jobs. Here is a checklist to prepare your lawn for the springtime warm-up.

Preparing Your Lawn

Spring is a great time to prepare your lawn for the growing season. However, timing does matter with this type of care. You might be tempted to get out with the warmer temperatures, but it can be more beneficial to wait. When the lawn starts developing a rich green color, that is the time to start the prep work. You also want to make sure to tread lightly across the grass. Walking over the turf can cause the soil to compact, and it will increase the chances of killing any developing blades. If you plan to do a little work on your grass, make sure to watch your step.

Know Your Turf Varieties

Not all grasses are the same. You need to find out if you have a warm-season or cool-season grass. Fescues, bluegrasses, and ryes are known as cool-season grasses. Warm-season grasses include St. Augustine, zoysia, and Bermuda varieties. You need to know your specific grass so that you can perform the proper maintenance tasks. With these grass varieties, there are optimal times to perform maintenance on the turf.

Cool-season grasses have two primary growth periods: spring and fall. In the heat of the summer, these grasses can go dormant. If you want to boost the health of your cool-season grass, it is best to feed in the spring. With that, you can help it survive throughout those scorching summer heatwaves.

Warm-season grasses start to grow after the final frost of the spring. Since these grasses love the heat and humidity, they often hit their growth stride by midsummer. If you have any maintenance needs for these grasses, you want to complete them as soon as the threat of frost has passed your area.

Raking and Cleaning

Over the winter, your property can accumulate debris. One of your first chores should be cleaning up the surrounding areas. Make sure to take the rake and remove any additional leaves that may have fallen throughout the winter. Your lawn needs sunlight to begin the greening process. As you rake, try not to damage the developing turf. You might want to reach for a leaf rake instead of a coarse garden rake. If there are any compacted areas of your soil, take a few notes. You might need to aerate or dethatch those spots.

Fertilization

If you applied fertilizer in the fall, you probably would not have to fertilize in the spring. However, you might want to have your soil tested to check on its nutrient levels. Once the grass starts to grow, those cool-season grasses could benefit from a light fertilizer application. For those who are using a pre-emergent for weeds, you should hold off on the fertilizer. Many of these products contain a light fertilizer, and you don’t want to overfeed. Those warm-season grasses will thrive when you fertilize in the late spring as the turf starts to turn green.

Weed Control

No matter if you have cool-season or warm-season grasses, you should think about a pre-emergent herbicide for your lawn. As soon as the temperature reaches a consistent 55 degrees, you could experience foxtail and crabgrass problems. For that reason, you want to apply weed control to your lawn and garden beds.

If you are looking for the best way to control those weeds, reach out to a commercial lawn care company. They have the right equipment and tools to get rid of those weeds. You will not have to worry about choosing the right chemicals to apply to your landscape. Some of these herbicides can affect the growing process of your plants and flowers. With a professional company, there is no guesswork for you.

Plant Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers

You might want to look at your lawn and choose some places to plant these landscaping elements. As the weather becomes nicer, you may want to select a few shrubs and flowers for your space. If you live in an area with the threat of frost, make sure to wait until April or May to plant your flowers. Annuals bloom for only one year, and perennials can last for several seasons. You might want to create a planting plan that adds color and texture to your space for the entire year. Trees are a great way to spruce up the look of your landscape. Nurseries and garden centers are filled with these landscaping elements. Mid-spring is the perfect time to plant a young tree on your property.

Seed Your Lawn

If the ground is not frozen, then it is a great time to seed. When the ground temperature reaches above 50 degrees, those seeds will begin to germinate. You want to plant early so that the grass has time to establish. When summer hits the area, your grass will be able to handle all the stress. While fall is the optimal time to plant cool-season grasses, you can still use the springtime to fill in any of those bare spaces. Warm-season grasses should be planted when temperatures stay in the 60s.

If you want a well-maintained landscape for your property, check off these items on your list. You should be performing maintenance in the fall and spring. After the harsh winter, your landscape will need some extra care. While you can handle these tasks by yourself, you might want to reach out to a company for their commercial lawn care services.

We’ll Handle Those Spring Chores

You can skip the work and let us handle the hard work. At Charlestown Landscaping LLC, our team keeps your commercial property looking great throughout the year. From mowing to trimming, we have the tools to get the job done. To schedule a consultation, please give us a call at (610) 608-3965.

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