5 Tips For Spring Yard Care

by Lou Manfredini, Ace's Home Expert

No matter what part of the country you live in Spring means a new start.  The winter can be rough on a yard. When spring has sprung and you are ready to hit the ground running, here are 5 places we want you start with first.

5 Tips For Spring Yard Care

  1. Clean up; Fallen branches, piled up leaves, and debris that is on your lawn in your flower beds or around the home needs to be picked up. Also trim dead branches from trees and shrubs with pruning tools.  Rake that lawn; During the colder temps your grass goes dormant and needs a lift.  Raking either by hand or with a power rake will pull out dead thatch and help promote new growth.
  2. Aerate the soil; This is better done with a machine you can rent that pokes holes in the soil to allow air to reach the roots and after that you can apply spring seed to the soil.  For those on a budget, a manual aerator takes more time, but you can get some great exercise out of it!
  3. Seeding.   Keep in mind that soil temps need to warm up before the seed will germinate, typically at least 50 degrees.  Make sure to choose a seed blend based on the amount of sunlight the area receives.  After the seed starts to take you can get moving on a 4 step fertilizing plan.
  4. Cultivate flower beds and garden beds. Turning the soil will promote healthy growth of the plants already in those areas as well as any spring planting you may do as well.  This can be done with a shovel or garden cultivator or even a power roto-tiller for larger areas.  Adding more black dirt, compost and even slow release fertilizer will really enrich the soil.
  5. Add mulch; Mulching garden beds not only improves the overall look of the  areas but helps to retain moisture and control weeds.  Laying a weed-blocking fabric first and then adding mulch can really help keep weeds at bay.

I know it sound like a lot of work but doing this kind of early prep work will get things looking green and lush in just a matter of 2-3 weeks.  If you need more help just visit your local Ace Hardware store.

 

For more tips, go to Tips.acehardware.com

Published: 3/8/2020