IT’S TIME TO PREPARE YOUR LANDSCAPE FOR SPRING
Finally, it is time to spend some time outside and prepare your landscape for spring. It has been a long winter but temperatures are on the way up, birds are starting to return from their winter vacations, and bulbs are starting to pop up out of the ground.
A little time spent on the landscape now will pay big dividends later in the season. But, where to start? We have a few suggestions.
Clean Up Debris
Debris has a way of piling up during the winter. Whether it is blown in or falls out of trees. It is unsightly. One of the best ways to get excited about spring is to clean it up. This is not just a psychological boost, the debris could contain insect eggs and diseases that could effect your landscape plants and lawn as the season warms up
Cut Back Perennials and Grasses
If you did not have time to cut back perennials and ornamental grasses last fall, now is the time. Before we know it, these plants will start growing again, making it more difficult to cut them back. Cut the dormant perennials and ornamental grasses just about to the ground and add the resulting debris to you compost bin. Recycling never felt so good.
Learn More: How To Care For Ornamental Grasses
Test The Soil Acidity
As long as the ground isn’t frozen, it is a perfect time to take samples and get the pH and nutrient values tested. This information will help guide you on how to lime and fertilize the lawn throughout the year for optimal results. Most local state extension services perform soil testing and can guide you on how they prefer the samples be submitted.
Learn More: Soil pH 101
Aerate The Lawn
Soil aeration is extremely beneficial to the health of lawns. It opens up compacted soil allowing air, water and nutrients to better penetrate to the root systems. This air movement also helps reduce thatch, which can give pests and diseases a place to thrive. Aerating the soil can be done anytime the soil is not frozen.
Overseed The Lawn
Most people do not think about seeding their lawn quite this early but there are benefits. The seed will generally stay dormant until the temperatures are warm enough for it to germinate. With cold temperature still possible there will still be freeze and thaw. When this occurs, grass seed will fall into micro-fissures in the soil, giving the seeds a good seed bed in which to grow. Also, with more time to grow, the seedlings will be better established before the summer heat and drought arrive.
Build Raised Planters
Nothing tasted as good as home-grown vegetable, and raised planter boxes make it easy to get started. Less stooping, better soil and improved water management are all benefits of growing vegetables in raised planters, and they are really simple to construct. Get them built now and reap the goodies later on.
Learn More: Building A Simple Raised Planter
Tune Up The Lawn Mower
Before long, it will be time to mow the lawn. Use this time to get the mower tuned up so assure no mechanical setbacks when the mower is needed. At the same time, clean up string trimmers, blowers and hedge trimmers. You’ll need them before you know it!
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