How to Prepare Your Lawn for Spring

Winter is finally over! It is officially time to begin thinking about Spring projects, which include your lawn. Winter tends to leave grass, shrubs and trees weak, requiring some work before they come back fuller and lusher than ever before. Our professionals at American Power have compiled their best tips for restoring your lawn to its springtime glory. 

Time to Clean. 

The first step to preparing your lawn for Spring is to clean up those leaves, twigs and other debris left over from fall and winter. Both rakes and air blowers do a great job helping you get rid of the debris across your lawn. Debris is important to remove as it can get stuck in your mower, causing internal issues within the mower and blocking fertilizers from being absorbed into the soil. 

Apply Fertilizer, Pre-emergent & Weed Killer. 

In early Spring, you should use a combination of fertilizer, which feeds and provides nutrients to your grass, pre-emergent, which will prevent crabgrass and weed killer to prevent harmful plants from sprouting in your yard. After six to eight weeks, reapply these products. If crabgrass sprouts, you’ll be fighting it all Spring, costing time and money. Most lawn care brands offer a combination of pre-emergent and weed killer that will save you both time and money to apply. 

Mow Early and Often. 

One of the biggest mistakes we see homeowners make is mowing only once a week during the Spring. If the grass grows too high and is then cut, it stunts the roots of the grass, causing it to be unable to reproduce properly. For the first six weeks of Spring, you should try to mow your lawn every five days, depending on the weather, to ensure a thicker, lusher lawn. 

Trim the Trees

Until you fully inspect your trees, you won't be able to identify dead branches. If dead branches are left unattended, they cause falls, causing damage to your property and potential injuries. You should consider having the trees around your lawn inspected by experts once every three years to ensure they are healthy, which should happen before the leaves come out so it is easier to determine the condition of the branches. 

Do Not Seed Until the Fall. 

It is tempting to fill brown patches in your yard with grass seed, but if you are applying pre-emergent and weed killer, the seeds will be unable to germinate. Instead, fertilize the lawn, and grass should fill the brown spots in a few weeks. If the brown patches are too large or you do not want to wait, please use sod. 

If you are looking for equipment to help prepare your lawn for the Spring, come visit American Power! Our lawn care experts are more than happy to help you and provide recommendations for your lawn care!