When you invest in a brand new home, you want to have a
fresh and well-manicured lawn. The appearance of your yard can
dramatically impact the curb appeal of your home. After winter,
performing lawn care maintenance has never been more important. After a
long rest throughout late fall and winter, your lawn will wake up hungry
and ready to grow. If you take the time to learn how to feed your lawn,
strengthen it, and get it off to the right start in the spring, your
yard will be the envy of the block.
When it's about time for the groundhog to
see his shadow, it's time to start preparing your lawn for the spring.
After a very tough winter, your lawn is going to wake up from a slumber
like a hungry bear in search of food. Too bad your grass can't simply
get up and hunt!
Doing the Right Things At the Right Time
You don't have to hire a professional
lawn care company to rejuvenate your lawn and then maintain it, but it’s
definitely an option. If you're willing to take time to learn what
steps you'll need to take and to put in the time, you can feed your lawn
and prevent weeds from growing at the same time. Doing lawn care on
your own can give you a feeling of pride in the way your home looks from
the outdoors.
Steps You'll Need to Take in Early Spring
When it's about time for the groundhog to
see his shadow, it's time to start preparing your lawn for the spring.
After a very tough winter, your lawn is going to wake up from a slumber
like a hungry bear in search of food. Too bad your grass can't simply
get up and hunt!
If you want to ensure that you're
nurturing a well-fed lawn early spring, once the grass starts to green
up, is the perfect time to start feeding it. This will ensure that your
lawn grows in lush and healthy as the flowers start to bloom. Here are
some valuable steps you'll need to rejuvenate your lawn at the beginning
of the best season for plant life:
Aeration
Soil compaction can lead to a loss of
oxygen and a lack of nutrients. Aeration should happen in early spring,
or late fall, but never in the summer as hot weather easily stresses
your lawn out. By renting an aerator in early spring or having someone
come in and aerate for you before you overseed, you can prevent
compaction and allow more oxygen to reach the roots of your lawn.
Overseeding
Next, you should overseed, which is the
process of adding lawn soil and grass seed over top of your existing
lawn. If you want a thick lawn that looks better than all of the rest,
this step is essential. Spread about ¼ inch of lawn soil evenly and
rake out .Next spread the grass seed and starter fertilizer over the
soil and water daily until the seed grows well. Overseeding will fill
in patches, make the lawn denser and help prevent weed growth.
Feeding the Lawn
After you seed, you can feed the lawn
with an all-purpose lawn fertilizer. A fertilizer with higher nitrogen
content will rapidly green up your lawn. Choose a 20 -10 -10 for
spring. This will be the first feeding of the year and should be
repeated late in spring as well, about 8 weeks later. The best-looking
lawns are lawns that are fed four times a year.
Step You'll Need to Take Once Seeds Take Root
Now that early spring is over and the
overseeding is flourishing and thriving, you'll need to focus on keeping
your lawn manicured and well-fed so that it'll be able to stand up to
all of the stress of the high temperatures that the summer brings. You
know, that heat we all love, but can seriously damage your lawn? All of
that early energy your fertilizing has provided is now being used and
your grass (and the unwanted weeds) is flourishing. Here are several
steps you'll need to take to combat those pesky weeds without killing
the grass you've worked so hard to nurture and feed.
Apply a Weed Prevent Product
Weed prevention products are designed to
target dandelions and crabgrass. These products will prevent germination
and aren't designed to specifically kill the weeds that have already
started to grow. If weeds are already polluting your grass, you'll need
to take another step.
Apply Weed-B-Gone
There are several broadleaf weeds that
may have already started to grow. To control these, you can simply spray
them with a Weed-B-Gone product that cuts off oxygen to the root. Make
sure to check with city by-laws on what you can and can’t use before
making a purchase.
Second Fertilizer Feeding
Now that eight weeks have passed, it's
time to feed your lawn again with an enriched turf builder fertilizer.
By feeding your lawn with fertilizer again, you can make your lawn
dramatically stronger and healthier before summer. Choose a 10-10-10
fertilizer now increases root mass and makes the blades of your grass
lush and green.
Take time to apply the right products to
your lawn at the right time of year and to understand what to do at
specific times during the year. Spring is one of the most important
seasons for your lawn. During this time, it's imperative that you feed
your lawn, nurture it, and supply your hungry lawn with everything that
it needs to wake up from its winter nap and thrive during the ultimate
growing season.