Get Your Yard Ready For Summer

Spring lawn care in essential for keeping your yard thriving and resilient through summer. If you want to a beautiful lawn and garden, follow these steps to keep your lawn and landscaping lush and green for the summer.

1. Rake It Up

The first step to preparing your yard for spring and summer is to do some raking and cleaning around the home. Use your yard waste container to collect all the leaves, twigs and other debris that has accumulated over winter. Try to do this every month.
​

2. Apply Fertilizer and Pre-Emerged Weed Killer

Fertilizer helps supplement the lawn with nutrients it lost during winter. Most experts agree that fertilizer should be applied at least twice a year.  After your spring fertilization, six to eight weeks later, it’s a good idea to reapply both products. Speak with a professional about setting up the perfect fertilization schedule.
​

3. Consider Adding Mulch

Mulch is a great way to retain moisture and nutrients during the summer heat. Mulch can help keep your plants sated and growing, but in some cases it may be a bad idea. Speak with a professional lawn care expert about the proper use of mulch.
​

4. Mow Your Lawn

Don’t let grass grow too high. Try to keep grass height between 2.5 to 3 inches. During peak summer, however, allow the grass to grow about a half inch longer. This helps the grass provide shade and retain moisture.
​

5. Trim Back Landscaping From Structure

Mulch, grass, and plants that are too close to the foundation can cause major moisture and pest problems. Try to maintain a minimum 2-foot clearance around the entire perimeter of your home. Trim back any trees, bushes or plants that are touching or coming close to the siding. In addition to trimming plants from your siding and foundation, it’s also important to look for any dead or excess growth in other areas of the yard. Pruning promotes healthy plants by eliminating dead or infected parts. It also helps you shape the growth of the tree or bush.
​

6. Inspect Nearby Trees

Falling trees and branches can cause massive amounts of damage, injury and death. If dead and rotting trees are ignored, they can fall and cause damage and potential injury. To be safe, contact a tree expert every 2-3 years for a professional inspection and safety pruning. This is best done during late winter/early spring before the leaves come out and mask the damage.
​

7. Consider Aerating Your Lawn

Aerate your lawn if it shows signs of compaction, such as moss. Moss can also indicate soil acidity (lawns like a neutral pH). If you become aware of soil compaction during your spring lawn checkup, contact a professional for the best plan of action.
​

8. Perform A Soil Test

In addition to problems like compaction and thatch, your soil may also be suffering from a pH imbalance. The best way to know whether your soil has the right pH balance is by hiring a professional to take a soil sample or by sending a soil sample to a local soil testing laboratory.

Learn more about how to get your yard ready for summer, here.