Following the winter months, the weather starts warming up again and your lawn will slowly come back to the growing season. When the spring finally sets in, you will be required to pay utmost attention to your lawn. Having the right tips on how to care for your lawn is essential. The following are top spring landscape care tips that will enable you to create a healthy and gorgeous lawn.
Dethatch your lawn
Dead turf grass, roots, debris, and other materials may accumulate on your lawn and develop into thatch, which hampers the germination of grass seed. The thatch may also support the growth of fungus and give room for pest infestation. It is a smart idea to get a dethatching rake and remove all the thatch. When your lawn is properly dethatched, water and nutrients can easily find their way to grassroots.
Test your soil pH levels
It is important to measure your soil pH levels to ensure the soil and lawn are well balanced. St. Augustine grass tolerates a wide range of soil types. The ideal pH for your lawn should be around 6.5. You can either test the pH yourself or seek the assistance of a lawn care expert.
Leaf Clean up
Leaves can be very useful as a natural mulch for flowerbeds. But too many leaves on the top of the lawn can be a problem. The suggestion is to remove excess leaves on the grass.
Reseed
Identify the bare spots in your lawn and get some seed into them. Bare spots will give way to growth of weeds on your lawn. Spring is the perfect time to reseed your lawn due to the favorable weather that will support the thickening of thin areas of your lawn.
Control Weeds
Weed control is an essential part of spring lawn care. If you fail to control weeds before they emerge, you will have a very difficult time during the summer eliminating them. Prevent weed by applying pre-emergent herbicides.
Mulch
Upon getting your lawn ready for summer, the flowerbeds also need some attention. Get pruning shears and prune all the damaged and dead branches of the plants. Apply a 2 to 3 inches layer of mulch at the entire flowerbed. This will serve to prevent water loss and to moderate soil temperature.
Aerate your lawn
Sometimes, during winter, the soil in your lawn becomes more compact, hampering air and nutrients from reaching the root system of the grass. It is not usual to happen in Sarasota-FL, as our soil is very sandy, but when it happens, be sure to aerate your lawn to enable the roots to receive nutrients and water.
Fertilize your lawn
Your lawn can benefit from some fertilizer applications, especially at this time of the year. Extra nutrients will help it to get stronger for the fast growing season. It’s therefore a good idea to apply fertilizer when spring sets in to give your lawn a head-start.
You can also apply pesticides to prevent chinch bugs and other insects, or treat for the specific insect once it appears.
Lastly, if you feel overwhelmed with regard to spring lawn care, consider contacting an expert to guide you.