Getting Your Lawn Ready for Spring

Spring is almost here, and it's time to start enjoying your beautiful backyard! First, you'll have to make sure your lawn is properly prepared to grow lush, green grass.

Get raking

Use a rake to remove old leaves, twigs, and debris from your lawn that have piled up all winter. Also rake excessive thatch--a layer of brown grass and root below your new green growth but above the soil. Removing thatch will give your grass air, better moisture access, and aid growth. Be sure to wait until the weather warms up and your grass is sprouting to begin raking or you could damage it.

Fertilize with compost
Spread a thin layer (about 1/4 of an inch) of aged compost over your lawn to fertilize it. Fertilization helps maintain soil moisture, prevent weeds and increases beneficial soil microorganisms. Good sources of compost include grass clippings, shredded newspaper, kitchen scraps, crushed egg shells, coffee grounds, manure, and hay. You should also spread compost or mulch around the bases of plants, trees, and shrubs.

Re-seed
Is your lawn suffering from any bare or sparse patches? Loosen the soil's surface to a depth of two to four inches, level the soil, and spread a mixture of seed and compost over the bare spot. Finish by tamping the surface with the flat end of a rake and water as needed.

Aerate
Aeration is beneficial to your budding grass because it promotes the absorption of water, oxygen and nutrients into your soil. Use a soil conditioning product that attaches to your garden hose and simply spray your lawn thoroughly.

Prune and remove weeds
Remove broken and dead limbs from deciduous trees, prune back spring-blooming shrubs after flowering, clear out weeds, and remove last year's perennial foliage. When you're done, you can use the organic matter for your compost pile.

Check your pH
Check your soil’s pH easily with a home soil-test kit. You’ll need several samples from your different planting areas to obtain a proper reading. Most plants grow best in soil with a pH between 6.0 to 7.0. Raise the pH with dolomitic lime or lower it with elemental sulfur.

Mow and water properly
There's a science to how often you should mow and water your lawn for optimal growth and lushness. Mowing your grass too short can stunt growth and cause dry, yellow patches--but leaving it too long is unsightly and creates an unkempt, sloppy look. You should mow your grass to a height of 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches, and mow frequently enough so that no more than one-third of the grass is cut in one mowing. Balance is also essential when watering your grass--too much will drown the roots, but not enough will leave you with brown, dry grass. A thorough watering with the hose or sprinkler once a week should be sufficient for a beautiful lawn. However, if you have planted new seeds, water lightly once a day for about five to ten minutes.