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Lawn Maintenance For Spring

Spring may be in the air, but before you can enjoy a beautiful lawn you need to help the grass out a little bit. Some initial work now will give you a nice lush green lawn that needs less work throughout the summer. Your lawn will show its thanks later if you follow these lawn maintenance steps in the spring:

1. Take a look at your lawn. Are there dead leaves and old dead grass all over? Then the first thing you need to do is power rake it. This means you need to take your rake, the metal kind not the wimpy leaf rake, and rake hard. If this is beyond your physical abilities, hire someone in the lawn care business with a dethatcher to do it. If you only have dead leaves, you can use the leaf rake.

2. Aeration. You can rent an aerator from your local home improvement store, but it's probably a better use of your time to have a pro do it. They can do it quickly, efficiently, and without injuring your back. Aeration pulls "plugs" out of your lawn and this helps nutrients and water go down deep. It also helps keep your lawn from being too compacted. After aeration, the roots have room to stretch down.

3. The next step is to over-seed your lawn. Use a spreader to throw out a seed that complements your existing grass type and does well in your climate. Over-seeding takes care of bare spots or thin spots, and may add a nice element like drought-tolerance to your lawn. You can also put down sod patches to cover any bigger bare areas.

4. Fertilize your grass. A good organic fertilizer can work wonders for your grass, just be ready with the lawnmower because it will grow fast. There are many different fertilizer combinations so you'll need to read the back of the bags and chose one that's right for your grass. If you're still unsure, you can have your plugs analyzed or you can ask a knowledgeable lawn care professional what they recommend.

As your lawn puts on its healthy lush spring coat, you will appreciate not having to give it extra water, extra fertilizer, or try to nurse it through the long dry summer. Your lawn will say thank you by showing off its greenness to you and all the neighbors.