Spring is the perfect time to prepare your lawn for the summer. With a little effort and care, you can ensure that your outdoor environment looks its best and is healthy and vibrant all summer.
Here are some tips for preparing your lawn for summer:
Lawn Aeration
One of the first steps to preparing your lawn for summer is to aerate it in the spring. Aerating your lawn involves creating small holes in the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the roots of the grass. This can be done using a specialized aerator tool or hiring a professional lawn care service. Aerating your lawn can help to alleviate soil compaction, which can inhibit healthy grass growth.
Rake Excess Thatch
Thatch is a layer of dead grass, leaves, and other organic matter that accumulates on the surface of your lawn over time. While a thin layer of thatch can benefit your yard, too much thatch can prevent air, water, and nutrients from reaching the roots of your grass. Raking excess thatch from your lawn in the spring can help promote healthy grass growth that will look beautiful all summer.
Check Soil’s Health
The health of your soil is an essential factor in the health of your lawn. You can check the health of your soil by testing its nutrient levels and pH. Some soil testing kits available at garden centers can help determine your soil’s nutrient levels and pH. Once you know the health of your soil, you can adjust it as needed by adding amendments like lime, sulfur, or compost.
Feed Lawn with a Balanced Fertilizer
To promote healthy grass growth for the summer, you should fertilize your lawn with a balanced fertilizer. A balanced fertilizer contains equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, essential nutrients for plant growth. Fertilizing your lawn in the spring can help to promote strong root growth and green, lush grass.
Feed and Seed Bare Spots
If you have bare spots in your lawn, spring is the perfect time to start seeding. Before you seed the bare spots, loosen the soil and remove any debris or weeds. Once you have seeded the empty spots, be sure to keep them well-watered until the grass has established itself.
Apply Herbicide to Kill and Prevent Weeds
Weeds can be a significant problem in lawns, so taking steps to prevent them is essential. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring can help to prevent weeds from germinating in your yard. If you already have weeds in your lawn, you can use a post-emergent herbicide to kill them. Be sure to follow the instructions on the herbicide label carefully to avoid damaging your property and increasing the health risk to people and pets.
What to watch out for when applying herbicides.
- Certain weather conditions make the herbicide volatile to drift, resulting in damaging other plants.
- Some herbicides may damage trees and shrubs when the active ingredient is absorbed by roots growing in the treated lawn.
- Dry herbicide forms can wash off treated areas and damage downslope plants.
- People and pets can track herbicides in homes. As the sun, moisture, and high temperatures break down synthetic herbicides outside, the active ingredient can persist when brought indoors, increasing harmful exposure to people and pets.
- The effectiveness of herbicides is subject to various factors – temperature, rainfall, soil conditions, etc. Even when label directions are followed, the resulting level of weed control may be inefficient.
- Weeds can develop a resistance to herbicides making them less effective.
When dealing with herbicides, it is always recommended to hire a professional landscaper as they have the knowledge and experience in properly using them.
Water The Lawn
Proper watering is essential for a healthy lawn. You should water your lawn deeply and frequently. This means watering your lawn once or twice a week but watering it deeply enough to reach the roots of the grass. To avoid overwatering, check the soil moisture level before watering. You can wait to water your lawn if the soil is still moist.
Mow Grass Frequently
Frequent mowing is vital for maintaining a healthy lawn. During the summer, mow your grass at 2-3 inches. Be sure to sharpen your mower blades before cutting to avoid damaging the grass. You should also avoid mowing your lawn when wet, as this can cause damage to the grass and soil.
Start Preparing Your Lawn for Summer
Preparing your lawn for summer requires effort and care, but the results are well worth it if done adequately.
Though this may be easy for many, it can be pretty time-consuming. This is when companies such as Fernandez Landscaping & Masonry can come to your rescue. Fernandez and Sons is a professional landscape design, installation and maintenance company here to help you. Our office is located in Morristown, New Jersey. We service Morris County, NJ and the counties beyond.
Contact us here to learn more about our services.
