Summer’s Almost Here – Time to Get the Lawn Ready

Woo boy, summer is almost here. Time to break out the gardening gloves and green thumbs and get to work getting that lawn of yours re-energized after its winter hibernation. Follow these easy steps to give your yard the head start it needs to be ready for summer.

Step One – Tune Up The Mower

For most of us this just means giving the mower a quick rinse, checking the oil, and filling it up with gas. However, if it’s been a while since you’ve checked the air filter, spark plug, and blade sharpness, now’s a good time to do so. Don’t worry; it’s not as difficult as it sounds. How To Tune Your Lawn Mower.

Step Two – Rake, Rake, Rake

You’re probably wondering why you have to rake in the spring when you already raked in the fall. Well, raking in the spring gets all that dead grass and thatch (the dead grass that’s smothering your lawn) out of the way so your lawn can get the nutrients it needs. We know…raking is less than fun. But hey, it’s quite the work out!

Step Three – Aerate

The more O2 your grass gets, the better. One of the best ways to ensure it does is by aerating your lawn. If you have cold season grass the best time to do this is in the fall; warm season grasses need aerating in the spring. You can pay someone to do this, or you can do it yourself buy strapping on a pair of lawn aerating shoes.

Step Four – Fertilize, Feed, Seed

Like a bear waking up from a long sleep, your lawn needs food after a winter of lying dormant. To ensure it gets the nutrients it needs, as well as protection from weeds and bugs, apply fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides after aeration. For those concerned about applying harsh chemicals to your lawn, there are a number of organic treatments available.

Step Five – Water

Just because it’s not summer, doesn’t mean your lawn isn’t thirsty. Fire up the sprinklers and start giving your yard the aqua it needs to get strong and healthy.

Step Six (Optional) – Clean Out The Garage

Yeah, yeah, cleaning out the garage is about as fun as going to the dentist (no offense dentists), but think of how happy you’ll be when you can actually get your mower out of the garage without having to move a bunch of junk first.