Spring is right around the corner! That coveted time of year when the ground thaws, flowers start to bud, and the sun feels oh, so much warmer. The inside of our house gets a thorough spring cleaning, but what about the outside? Actually, in addition to the nicer weather, Spring is also the perfect time for planning and preparing for your yard’s future. A spring-cleaning checklist for inside the house can seem daunting enough, so what about the outside? Some enjoy the outside time and do their own lawn care. Others prefer hiring a lawn care service that they can trust. Whichever category you may find yourself in, the list of lawn care needs can feel pretty long. That being said, here are just a few tips to get you started on your spring lawn care journey.
Get Out the Rake
This may seem unnecessary if you did your Fall lawn maintenance. Still, raking your yard is important for several reasons. After the ground has dried, you could possibly see lots of something called thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead and living grass, roots, and other organic matter that builds up between the soil and your healthy grass. Some thatch is good, but if it isn’t properly maintained, excessive thatch can lead to an unhealthy lawn by hindering new growth. Make sure to rake away excess thatch to give your lawn a good start for the year.
Step one, complete! Next is…
Aeration
When you use an aerator to aerate your lawn, this breaks up compacted soil. Unfortunately, the more foot traffic on your lawn, the higher the chance of compacted soil. Driving on your lawn and even your dog running around can also compact soil. Compacted soil complications include low resilience of your grass when temperatures spike and during rainfall. However, if your lawn is properly aerated, nutrients, air, and water will better enter the soil and reach the roots of your grass. Hello, healthy lawn!
Aeration should be an essential step on everyone’s to-do lawn care list. The best part is that you can even wait until late Spring to aerate your lawn. Feel less stressed yet?
What to do next…
Check In With Your Soil
Soil is undoubtedly the biggest factor in determining your lawn’s future. Some places have naturally dusty, unproductive soil. Fortunately, in Columbia, SC where T/M Maintenance is located, the soil lends itself to lots of growth and greenery.
Problems arise when the soil in your yard is either too acidic or too alkaline. Grass does not like soil that is either too much acidity or alkalinity, so it needs as close to a neutral pH (7.0) as possible in order to grow.
There are some telltale signs of an unbalanced soil pH, such as moss growth (too acidic) or plants dying quickly (too alkaline).
To test your soil at home, you can purchase a soil pH test kit. After you’ve tested your soil, you will be able to see how best to proceed with your lawn maintenance.
Let’s look at one more helpful step.
Weeds, Be Gone
Let’s be real… weeds are a huge nuisance! Dandelions may look pretty, but they are more sinister than one might think. One can turn into 4, 4 into 16, 16 into 30, etc. Clearly, it’s necessary to keep these little yard ruiners from taking over. How, though?
Preemergent herbicides will cut right to the problem. We can’t really see or detect what’s happening below the surface, so preemergent (meaning before anything starts popping up) herbicides will be your very best yard friend- your VBYF, if you will. Typically, the instructions that come with the product will provide a more specific timeframe for application to your lawn. Follow those, and you’ll be good to go!
Even after investing in and applying a preemergent herbicide, it’s a good idea to follow up a little later in the Spring with a post-emergent herbicide. That way, anything that escaped the first round of herbicide will be taken care of by the second.
In summary, Spring lawn care truly sets the scene for the rest of your lawn’s year. Since Spring is almost upon us, now is the perfect time to start your lawn care list. Whether you want to hire a lawn care service or want to take care of matters yourself, it’s important to know where to begin. Raking, aerating, checking soil pH, and weeding are just a handful of Spring lawn care priorities.
As a lawn care service in Columbia, SC, we at T/M Maintenance are here for and ready to help you. Why not see what we have to offer you here on our website, or give us a call at (803) 602-2623.
Now is the time to ask yourself: Will my yard be ready for Spring?