Back in November, many weather experts predicted that New Jerseyans would enjoy a mild winter. They proved right as The Garden State didn’t get as much snow as it usually does. Temperatures also tended to be milder throughout the state for much of the winter.
Because of this, you might not be as eager as you usually are to get out and do your seasonal landscaping this spring. But you need to do it.
It’s also important for you to follow these 10 spring landscaping and gardening tips in New Jersey. These landscaping tips will get your lawn and the rest of your landscape design looking great both in the spring and well beyond.
1. Pick the Right Time for Spring Landscaping
You don’t necessarily need to jump the gun and start working on your landscaping in the middle of February or anything. Temperatures will likely be too low for you to make a serious dent in your spring landscaping.
But by the time March rolls around, you should be ready to go. Ideally, you’ll want to start using the 10 spring landscaping and gardening tips in New Jersey, following the final signs of frost.
2. Begin by Cleaning Up Your Lawn
Even though New Jersey hasn’t gotten hit with too much snow and ice this winter, you’ll still need to spend a lot of time cleaning up your lawn. It will be littered with leaves, sticks, etc., from the fall and winter.
All the best landscaping and gardening tips in the world aren’t going to help your lawn grow strong if it’s a mess. It’s why it’ll be imperative that you clean it up and prepare it for what’s to come next.
3. Fertilize Your Grass as Soon as Possible
People will often ask, “What is the first thing you put on your lawn in the spring?” when they’re getting their spring landscaping routine underway. The answer is fertilizer.
In New Jersey, it’s almost always best to use either an organic or slow-release fertilizer that can provide your lawn with nitrogen, phosphorous, iron, and the other nutrients it needs.
Aim to fertilize your lawn sometime in early March if you can. It should be enough to encourage your grass to begin growing. It’ll also help to strengthen its roots and make it look better as the spring and summer seasons play out.
4. Consider Applying an Herbicide to Your Lawn
Do you find that crabgrass and other types of aggressive weeds will typically grow in your lawn and other parts of your property? You might be able to stop them in their tracks by applying an herbicide to your lawn.
The right herbicide should kill off any crabgrass that you have and prevent it from causing complications with your spring landscaping. Crabgrass can start to grow when the temperature of the soil is between 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so you should try not to wait too long to apply an herbicide.
5. Pull as Many Weeds as You Can From Grass and Flowerbeds
No matter how hard you work to stop weeds from growing in your yard, there will always be a few that slip through the cracks. So toward the beginning of spring, you should make it a point to walk around and pull as many of them as possible.
Weeds will sometimes be more manageable in the early spring than in the late spring and early summer. You should attack them with a vengeance from the start to stop them from wreaking havoc on your lawn and making landscaping more difficult down the line.
6. Trim Broken and Dead Branches From Trees
If you have a bunch of trees on your property, they probably have at least a few broken and/or dead branches hanging off them. You should trim them as soon as possible so that they don’t fall into your lawn and make another mess you’ll need to clean up.
You should also trim them so that they don’t fall and either injure people or damage your home. Spring is a good time to tend to your trees so that they look their best and don’t cause any issues later.
7. Start Mowing Your Lawn When It Warms Up
If your lawn is frozen, wet, or not growing yet at the start of the spring, you won’t need to worry about mowing it yet. But once the ground is dry and the temperatures stay above 40 degrees Fahrenheit daily, you can start a mowing routine.
You don’t want to begin mowing your lawn too early in the spring and damage your tender grass blades. But you also don’t want to wait too long and have your lawn grow out of control.
8. Make Weed Whacking a Top Priority
In addition to mowing your lawn throughout the spring, you should also make weed whacking and even edging a priority. This will allow you to take further control over how your lawn is growing.
You’ll pay for it later if you put off things like weed whacking and edging. Certain parts of your lawn will become overgrown, making it challenging to cut them back down to size.
9. Look Out for Insects and Other Pests
If you struggle to maintain your lawn in the spring for one reason or another, insects and other pests might begin to feast on it. They’re naturally drawn to lawns that look malnourished.
You should try to avoid letting things get to this point by caring for your lawn from the start of the spring. But if you allow insects and pests to set up shop in your yard, you’ll need to find solutions for them in the form of either pest control products or possibly even hiring a pest control company.
10. Hire a Spring Landscaping Company to Help You
Do you already know that you aren’t going to be able to devote enough time to your lawn this spring? Then you should hire a spring landscaping company to help you do the job.
A company like Fernandez & Sons Masonry and Landscaping Inc. will be able to set you up with the necessary landscape care and maintenance services this spring. You should take full advantage of them.
Use These 10 Spring Landscaping and Gardening Tips In New Jersey
Now that you’ve read through our list of 10 spring landscaping and gardening tips in New Jersey, you should put them to the test. You should also hire a spring landscaping company like Fernandez & Sons to assist you.
We can provide your lawn and the rest of your landscape design with the TLC it needs this spring. We can also help you scrap your old landscape design and incorporate new landscaping ideas into the mix.
Contact us today to schedule spring landscaping services.
