Spring lawn care tips: 7 steps to help your lawn look its best all season long
At Yahoo, we're dedicated to building the world's best guide to the internet, and in our new series , we're exploring the best tips, simple tricks, unexpected hacks and expert advice we can find to help readers live their lives just a little bit better. First up: spring lawn care.
Spring cleaning isn't just for baseboards and basements. After another lengthy Canadian winter, it's likely the outside of your house could use just as much TLC as the inside.
Building good lawn care habits in spring will pay off come summer, improving the health of your lawn and giving you a lush green backdrop for backyard BBQs and lazy summer afternoons. So whether you're a lawn care beginner or seasoned vet, if you're looking to improve your lawn game (and no, we're not talking about bocce or badminton), you'll want to follow our best spring lawn care tips—from the best time of day to water to advice on dealing with unsightly bare patches and weed.
You're only as good as your tools. So before you step foot on your lawn, inventory your equipment and identify any lawn tools that need repairing or replacing. After all, you have better things to do than wrestle with an underperforming lawn mower all spring and summer long.
Is your garden hose cracked or leaking? Could you use a new set of gardening gloves, pruning shears or other lawn care essentials? Has your lawn mower or string trimmer seen better days? The beginning of the season is also a good time to sharpen your lawn mower blades if they've dulled, change the oil if you have a gas mower and check the batteries on any battery-powered lawn tools.
Flexzilla's top-reviewed garden hose is durable, lightweight and flexible, helping it lay flat without twisting or kinking.
Once the snow's melted and you can actually see grass again, it's time to gather up any twigs, broken branches, leftover leaves and other debris from your yard. Not only will this help prevent mold, blight and disease, clearing out dead foliage from your lawn and flower beds will give your grass and perennials more room to grow.
Wait until you see your lawn beginning to green, then use a leaf rake to gently remove any clumps of dead grass, roots and soils (also known as thatch), which can otherwise block water, air and sunlight from reaching the healthy grass underneath. Just make sure your lawn is dry before raking—otherwise, you could be pulling up healthy grass as well.
A quality steel rake makes quick work of leaves and other lawn debris. Shoppers praise this sturdy, wood-handled option, saying it "works much better" than a plastic rake for removing thatch.
Now that you've got a blank canvas, take a look around. Does your lawn need to be aerated, or are there signs of disease or pests? Is your grass sparser and patchier than you remembered? Experts recommend mid-April to mid-May as the best time for overseeding, which can help restore a thinning brown lawn to its former glory.
First, you'll want to choose the right grass seed according to your climate and sun exposure. Whether your yard is partially or densely shaded, you'll find a mix specially designed to suit your needs.
A handheld spreader, or broadcast spreader for larger properties, is recommended for an even coating. Once the seed is down, rake lightly to mix it with the soil, and water daily until grass begins to sprout (this can take up to three weeks).
This best-selling grass seed contains a mix of Creeping Red Fescue, Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass, making it ideal for yards that get varying degrees of sun exposure.
Growing grass needs to be fed, and fertilizing your lawn after overseeding can help provide the proper nutrients. Experts recommend fertilizing once every eight weeks after your first two or three mowings of the year—so you can do this once in spring and again in the summer.
Consider an eco-friendly option, particularly if you have children and/or pets. Some varieties even combine grass seed and fertilizer into a single package. Prefer to go organic? Espoma makes an all-natural organic lawn food that's safe for people and pets, and promises it won't burn your lawn.
Scotts' 2-in-1 lawn fertilizer promises "fast, deep greening" in three days, plus it's children and pet-friendly.
Grass needs two things to thrive: sunlight and water, and plenty of both. While there's not much you can do about the former, there are a few easy ways to up your watering game.
Water deeply to encourage healthy roots: This is especially important if you've recently fertilized, to ensure nutrients are properly distributed throughout your lawn's soil.
Water in the AM for best results:Avoid watering in the afternoon sun (when moisture will evaporate too quickly) or at night (when it won't evaporate at all). Instead, stick to the morning – before 10 AM – to help your grass absorb water more efficiently. Not an early bird? Consider investing in a sprinkler timer.
Water according to the weather report: The general rule of thumb is to ensure your lawn gets one inch of water per week in the spring, whether that's from a hose, sprinkler or Mother Nature. So if you're looking for a silver lining in those spring rain clouds, April showers don't just bring May flowers, they also mean you might not need to water as often.
Wondering whether your lawn has enough water? Try the screwdriver test: if you can push a screwdriver six inches into the soil, you're good. If not, it gets the hose again.
Shoppers rave about this reliable and efficient sprinkler, calling it a "game-changer" for spring lawn maintenance. With 16 clog-resistant nozzles and customizable patterns, the Aqua Joe sprinkler can cover up to 3,600 sq. ft of lawn.
Patience is key for a lush lawn; you'll want to wait until your grass is at least three inches high before your inaugural mow of the season. This will help encourage deeper roots and give new growth time to take hold. You'll also want to make sure the grass is dry and your lawn mower blade isn't dull to avoid an uneven cut, whether it's your first mow of the season or your last.
In the market for a new lawn mower? Consider going cordless. This battery-powered Greenworks mower is perfect for small and medium-sized lawns.
Prevent pesky weeds from spoiling your hard work by dealing with them before they have a chance to grow out of control. Spring's the perfect time for 'weed-and-feed' products, which are designed to prevent dandelion and crabgrass seeds from germinating while simultaneously providing nutrients to thicken your existing grass.
For weeds that have already sprouted, you'll have to use a hand weeder or hori hori gardening knife. Just be sure to dig weeds out by the root to prevent them from coming back from the dead like a bad horror movie villain. An ergonomic stand up weed puller makes quick work of stubborn dandelions while reducing the need to bend and stoop, making life easier on your lawn and your back. Looking for an even more hands-off option? Try a ready-to-use herbicide spray.
Quickly and easily pull weeds out by the root without bending or kneeling, thanks to the 45" wood handle on this enduringly popular stand-up weed puller, first invented in 1913.
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