Tips for Spring Lawncare & Landscaping
This week we’ve invited the dads behind the website to share their best home improvement and maintenance tips and tricks with our readers. Spring is here—or was yesterday! While Western Montana weather can be unpredictable, there are certainly a few days of sunshine here and there, enough to begin preparing your lawn and landscaping for the seasons ahead. Below are a few suggestions on how to get started.
Getting Started
Nothing is more frustrating than starting a project and realizing you need equipment repaired or replaced. Start off your outdoor spring clean-up project first by assessing whether your outdoor power equipment and tools need any cleaning, repairing or replacing. This will also help you identify if there are any tools you may need that you don’t already have. Installing a new mower blade or having your mower blade sharpened is always a great idea in spring. There are a number of local businesses that service outdoor power equipment if you are unable to do so yourself.
Prepare your lawn and landscaping by cleaning up leaves and debris that have accumulated over the winter. You can do this yourself with the tips below or by hiring a professional.
Cleaning up leaves and other debris can be easy with a leaf blower/vacuum. Leaf blowers/vacuums come in handy when cleaning up areas landscaped with river rock or larger. However, I don’t recommend using a blower on areas landscaped with pea gravel or mulch. Many of the brick and mortar stores carry leaf blowers/vacuums ranging in price depending upon your needs.
If you have a dog, spring time can often reveal a land mine of dog poop. Hiring a professional like Montana Pooper Scoopers makes that clean-up process much easier!
If you didn’t get a chance to clean out planter boxes or other containers last fall, now is the time to do so. This will help you determine if any boxes or containers need to be repaired or replaced. If you have bird feeders or other landscaping decor like bird baths, they may need cleaning or repair as well.
The grass is always greener… when you take proper care of it during the spring months! Below are a few suggestions on how to prep your lawn for the seasons ahead.
Power rake—Power raking helps your lawn get off to a great start by clearing out thatch and other debris that builds up over the winter months. Thatch and other debris can prevent the essentials, like water and nutrients, from reaching the soil. Power raking is relatively easy to do and is similar to using a lawn mower—there are also several tutorials online. You can rent your own power rake from any local equipment rental store or you can hire a professional to power rake your lawn.
Re-seed bare patches on your lawn— First, using a garden rake, loosen the surface roughly 2 to 3 inches and then level any soil that’s visible with the flat end of the rake. Next, spread a mixture of grass seed and compost or a good garden soil over the surface. Pack down the surface with the flat end of a rake to firm in the seed and then water as needed.
Weed and fertilize—Hiring a professional company to spray weed killer and fertilizer is generally the best option, especially to avoid handling chemicals. Many local companies are reasonably priced and offer packages to fit your needs and yard size. If you decide to do this process on your own, I would recommend using a lawn spreader, wearing the appropriate protective gear and follow the directions outlined on package of whatever fertilizer you choose. You can save time by purchasing an all in one formula that includes weed killer and fertilizer.
Mowing—A good rule of thumb when considering the first mow of the season is wait until your grass is at least 3”—mowing when your lawn is too high can damage the lawn’s roots. Once you begin mowing more often, pay attention to the height of the grass you cut, too, removing no more than one-third the blade’s length. Mowing too short can cause unsightly browning of your lawn.
Underground Sprinklers—If you have turned on your sprinkler system in the past, follow the same process you’ve used before. Here’s a great step by step guide from TheSpruce.com on how to manually turn on and test your sprinklers. If you’re not comfortable doing this process on your own, you can hire a local contractor to do this as well.
If you choose to manually turn on and test your sprinklers yourself, ensure that you are also checking for any pipes that may have burst or sprinkler heads that may need to be replaced. The best way to tell where a pipe has burst is to continue to let the water run and eventually you will see a bubble forming under the grass in the area the pipe has broken. If this is the case you can repair it yourself with the appropriate tools or contact a local contractor for repair. After the water is on it is a good idea to run every zone and ensure all sprinklers are working correctly and covering the areas needed, if not replace or adjust sprinklers as necessary.
After you’ve completed the manual testing and conducted any necessary repairs, the final step is to plug in the sprinkler control box and adjust the days, start time, and zone time so it will run automatically. Each sprinkler control box is different so please refer to the operator’s manual for how to adjust the settings.
Whether you are planting new plants or have existing plants beginning to bloom, below are some suggestions on how to help them get off to a great start.
Trim or prune shrubs as needed. Some shrubs and trees need more pruning than others, this article from Better Homes and Gardens provides information on what to prune and when.
Adding seasonal plants to landscaped areas can be a great way to enhance your yard’s curb appeal and add color. Start by preparing working the soil when it’s moist and adding compost to boost the soil’s nutrients. Remove the plant from the container and gently loosen the root ball. Plant in desired area and then cover with mulch after landscaping is complete.
Mulch and fertilize around trees and larger shrubs. Not sure what type or how much mulch to use? Here are some great tips from HGTV.
