Want to know the secret to spring lawn care? Make a plan. Knowing what needs to be done is only part of it. You also need to know when each task should take place to yield the best results. Take a peek at this spring lawn care plan for inspiration and create your own for your yard.

Timing Lawn Care

Once the weather warms, you may be itching to go outside and beautify your yard. After staring at bare trees and bare lawn spots, it’s refreshing to watch these coming back to life. However, the timing of certain lawn tasks is important—unless you’re okay with wasting time and money.

Top tasks like fertilizing and weed control relies on the current conditions. If the ground is still too frozen or compacted, your efforts will be wasted if the product can’t penetrate the surface. This is where the right plan comes into place.

Spring Lawn Care Plan

Between budding flowers and trees and grass waking up from dormancy, spring is a busy time of year. Get ahead of the necessary lawn tasks by coming up with a plan for what your lawn needs from March until May.

Check your mower. If you didn’t prep it before putting it away in the fall, now’s the time to sharpen the blades, replace the air filter, and fill it with gas or recharge the battery.

Clean your yard. Even if the ground hasn’t completely thawed, you can rake up any additional leaves, dead grass, rogue branches, and any other debris. Clearing the lawn makes it easier and more efficient for the following tasks.

Test your soil. Knowing what nutrients your soil needs will make fertilizing easier. Test the levels and pH with soil kits available at any garden store.

Dethatch. Thatch is considered to be any living and decomposing organic matter that builds up between the soil and grass. A thin layer is beneficial since it helps retain moisture and insulate roots. However, anything over a half-inch thick layer cuts off root access to air, water and nutrients. Break up thick thatch with a specialized rake.

Aerate. Soil gets compacted over time, especially in high traffic areas. Aerating opens up the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots. There are different types of aerating requiring specialized machinery that works to remove a plug-sized core of dirt. Left on the lawn, these organic cores break down and give nutrients back to the soil.

Fertilize. Cool-season grasses should be fertilized in early spring. Warm-season grasses can wait until mid-to-late spring. If you’ve tested your soil, you know what nutrients the grass is lacking, if any. Focus on fertilizers that fill these gaps. Fertilizing after aerating helps give the product a more direct route to the roots.

Pre-emergent weed control. Any gardener knows weeds take over if not addressed early on. Wait until the soil warms up to about 58 degrees for better control. Using a pre-emergent herbicide helps keep tough weeds like crabgrass from springing up everywhere.

Professional Spring Lawn Care

If you’re looking forward to spring but not to lawn care, you’re in luck! There are companies that specialize in planning programs catered to handling important yard tasks throughout the year. After an evaluation of your yard, you’ll receive recommendations on an annual plan. This means the pros work out what needs to be done and when. Then they come and do it for you! If this sounds more your speed, contact Cardinal Lawns today to get started.