With the end of winter approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how to get your lawn ready for spring. Luckily, you don’t have to ask yourself, “How can I get my lawn back in the spring?” as we’ve outlined how to do so here. You can try some of these tasks yourself, but you’ll see better results if you hire professional lawn care services.
Why Does Proper Lawn Care Matter?
Before getting into tips for spring lawn care, you may wonder why it matters. Spring is the most crucial season when it comes to setting yourself up for lawn care success. If you don’t take care of your lawn in the spring, it won’t be as healthy in the summer and fall. Remember that this is a crucial time when your lawn recovers from winter.
With that in mind, the following tips will show you what to do so you don’t have to wonder how to prepare your lawn for spring.
11 Tips to Ensure Your Lawn Bounces Back This Spring
Gentle Raking
Whether you do it yourself or a lawn care service handles it for you, one of the first things to do when the snow melts is to rake your lawn gently. This lets you remove thatch that’s gotten too deep (over half an inch). As a refresher, thatch is the dead turfgrass from the previous year. A thin layer preserves nutrients and moisture in the soil, while a deeper layer can cause issues.
Aeration
You will also want to aerate your lawn. During aeration, your lawn professionals create openings in the lawn, allowing air and water to reach the grass roots.
This helps loosen the soil, allowing it to receive more of the nutrients it needs. Aerating the soil also reduces disease and helps with drought recovery.
Nearly every lawn can benefit from aeration, but it is especially important if the lawn sees heavy traffic. Any lawn that regularly has people run or walk over it needs to be aerated.
However, you should always exercise care when aerating your lawn in spring, as it can sometimes encourage lawn weeds, including crabgrass. Professional lawn care services can evaluate whether your lawn needs to be aerated and reduce the risk of weeds.
Fertilization
Fertilizing your lawn is the process of feeding it nutrients, which is a crucial part of spring lawn care. While you could technically use synthetic fertilizer, you should always opt for organic. This dramatically reduces the risk of chemical runoff that could negatively affect wildlife and local bodies of water.
In some cases, applying fertilizer to your lawn will deliver results within just a few days. There are rapid-release and slow-release formulas. You can even combine the two to maximize the benefits of both.
Organic fertilizer comes in liquid or granular forms, the latter being solid pellets. Most lawn care experts will apply the solid pellets of granular fertilizer using a broadcast spreader, as this will ensure it is spread out evenly.
Liquid fertilizer can be a good option if you have a smaller lawn—about half an acre or less. In that case, you can dilute the fertilizer and water your grass at the same time by attaching it to your hose. You can also use a compression sprayer featuring a pump, which professionals use.
Yet another way to apply fertilizer is to opt for a mulching mower that chops the grass into fine particles. The clippings break down over time, giving your lawn the nitrogen it needs.
Soil Testing
Importantly, the answer to “How can I get my lawn back in the spring?” depends somewhat on your lawn itself. That’s why professionals will test your soil and evaluate your lawn before they decide on a specific course of action. Specifically, your soil testing results will determine if you need to use soil amendments to get the lawn to the right pH levels.
Ideally, the soil will have a neutral pH of 7, which is the best environment for grass. If the soil is too far into the acidic (below 7) or alkaline (over 7) range, it can lead to moss growth. Your lawn care professionals will likely test your soil to see where it falls. From there, they can add appropriate amendments. For example, if your soil is too acidic, they may add ground limestone. If the soil is extremely alkaline, they may add elemental sulfur or compost to the top of the lawn.
Consider Overseeding
With overseeding, you sow seeds on top of existing grass. This is typically only necessary if your grass has bare patches from neglect, heavy traffic, or dog spots. When overseeding, you will use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and switch to a normal fertilization routine five weeks after the grass sprouts.
Controlling Crabgrass
Another crucial part of spring lawn care is to get ahead of crabgrass. Crabgrass is incredibly challenging to control, even for the most experienced lawn professionals, who will need more time to remove it. That said, controlling the crabgrass before it starts to spread can make it much easier to prevent.
You will want to apply a pre-emergent solution—typically an organic control. You must apply the control at the right time: after the seeds emerge but before they germinate. The crabgrass control is easiest to apply with a compression sprayer, as this will do so evenly and on every part of your lawn.
Pest Control
In addition to controlling crabgrass and weeds, spring lawn care can also include other elements of pest control. For example, you can start the process of stopping mosquitos early on to save you the hassle and discomfort of bites or diseases in the future.
Define or Neaten Your Lawn
Spring is the time to reshape the edges of your lawn so you can define where it sits. Remember that neat lines instead of overgrown ones will make your lawn look much healthier and improve your overall landscaping. That’s why lawn services typically do this automatically.
Get Your Lawn Mower Ready
If you plan on mowing the lawn yourself, make sure to prepare and tune up your lawn mower. Electric mowers are incredibly low-maintenance, while gas mowers only require replacing the air filter, oil, and spark plug. Make sure to clean under the mower deck, as you don’t want old grass and leaves to build up there. You must also check the blade and see if you need to sharpen or replace it.
You should be able to service either type of mower yourself, or you can take it to a shop for a tune-up. You can skip this step entirely if you take the smart route and hire professionals for your lawn care. After all, they will have their own mowers and other necessary supplies.
Hire Lawn Care Professionals
The best way to get your lawn ready for spring is to work with professionals. They should be your source for assessments, fertilization, pest control, and more. Their experience ensures high standards in delivering these and other services.
Bonus: What to Do in Fall and Winter to Get Ready for Spring
You may not realize it, but what you do during the fall and winter is a crucial part of preparing your lawn for spring. While it is too late for these steps this season, keep them in mind for later this year when you start looking into preparing your lawn for spring.
To start, do your best to clear the fallen leaves off your lawn before the snow falls. If left in place, the leaves can lead to the grass dying or getting diseased. It can also encourage pests like voles and mice.
You will also want to fertilize one final time during the fall, giving your grass enough nutrients to last the winter.
Hire LawnMart to Get Your Lawn Ready for Spring
Learn more about preparing your lawn for spring and how LawnMart can help transform your lawn in the Greater Toronto Area. Get a free quote today!