7 Essential Actions To Prepare Your Lawn For Spring

After a long and cold winter, the first signs of spring can be absolutely tantalizing. The feeling of gentle sunshine on your face, the fresh smell of new flowers, and the tweets and chirps of birds all awaken your consciousness to the impending new season. 

With warmer and drier days ahead, you are likely excited to spend more time in your backyard. Unfortunately, the vision of a perfect and soft green lawn you may expect to come with springtime does not just happen on its own. A lawn is a living organism, and just like so many others, it must be nurtured in its youth to achieve its potential. 

If you want to know the key actions you must take to yield a perfect and beautiful lawn, then you have come to the right place! Read on and we will show you how to help coax your lawn from a barren winter wasteland into a lush springtime Garden of Eden! 

Raking: Say Goodbye to Last Year’s Dead Grass 

As soon as your lawn transitions from the drab straw color of winter to a soft springtime green, it is time for some spring cleaning! 

Rake your entire lawn deeply to remove all the dead leaves and grass that has accumulated over the winter months. Dead leaves and grass can block sunlight and air from getting to the living grass below. By raking the debris away, you allow the grass to thrive and grow to its full potential. 

Overseeding: Bring in Some Seed Reinforcements

The term “overseeding” may confuse some homeowners. It kind of sounds like we are recommending you put tons and tons of seed on your lawn. This would actually damage your lawn. The process of “overseeding” is actually when you apply new grass seeds over your existing lawn. 

Think of the new seeds as reinforcements for your lawn. They can fill in the cracks and crevices in your lawn and help ensure it grows into a thick, almost carpet-like patch of grass. Take extra care to apply more seeds to places that experience damage during the winter.  

Aeration: Give Your Lawn Some Fresh Air 

Grass needs slightly loose and uncompacted soil to grow best. If your lawn is heavily trafficked by people or machinery, you may benefit from aerating the soil. Heavily compacted soil will prevent grass from rooting and encourage pesky moss growth.

Lawn aerators can be purchased at your local hardware store. They will allow you to punch little holes into the ground that will loosen the soil up and encourage superior grass growth. It may look a little strange at first with lots of little holes in your lawn, but do not worry! The holes will close up in a few weeks.

Weeding: Grow Grass, NOT Weeds!

Everyone who has tried to grow a lawn knows that weeds are an inevitable challenge. From crabgrass to clover and dandelions, there are countless plants that would like nothing better than to disrupt your lawn. Even worse, weeding is hard work that requires lots of bending over and can be hard on people with sore backs or knees. 

If you are going to commit the time and energy to pull weeds out from your lawn, make sure to do it right! You must pull the entire weed out–root and all. Many people will rip the tops off of weeds and be frustrated when they grow back a few weeks later. In many cases, more than half of a plant exists underneath the surface. Just removing the top of a weed only slows its growth down. 

Pre-Emergent Herbicide: Stop Weeds Before They Start

As mentioned above, weeding is hard work. A much better method is to stop weeds from growing in the first place. Luckily, there are products that can help you do just that! Pre-emergent herbicides are designed to chemically disrupt the growth and development of weeds like crabgrass. This stops them from ever developing into full grown weeds. 

The key to effectively using pre-emergent herbicides is to apply them early in the season. Once weeds have taken hold in your lawn, they are much harder to remove. We recommend applying pre-emergent herbicides just as your lawn begins to transition to its spring growth phase. 

Fertilize: Your Grass Needs Nitrogen

While water, sunshine, and air are the most important elements in plant growth, plants still need a wide variety of nutrients to thrive. Nitrogen, in particular, is necessary for growing healthy and beautiful grass. 

The easiest method is to apply a store-bought, slow release nitrogen fertilizer. This will give your grass the boost it needs to grow into its best self. Some homeowners prefer to avoid using chemical fertilizers. For those individuals, we recommend sprinkling a thin layer of nitrogen-rich compost across your lawn. If you choose to apply compost, be careful not to suffocate your grass by applying too much.

It is key to apply fertilizer in moderation. Beware! It is not just your grass that likes fertilizer. Weeds will respond to it as well. Too much fertilizer can give a boost to the weeds you are trying to avoid!

Johnson’s Landscaping Service: Let the Experts Lead the Way

This all sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? 

Even worse, if done improperly, you could potentially ruin your lawn, leaving you with an expensive and unsightly mistake. If you want to avoid hours of hard labor and the risk of damaging your lawn, we recommend reaching out to lawn care experts to take care of it for you. There is no better choice than Johnson’s Landscaping Service! 

The folks at Johnson’s Landscaping Service are experts on lawn care. They know exactly what steps to take to help you achieve your best lawn outcome. 

It is easy! Give them a call to set up a landscape maintenance contract and let your worries fall away. They will have your lawn ready and thriving for the coming season!