How Should I Take Care of My Yard?

You’ve survived another winter! But now it’s time to prepare your yard for spring.

There are certain tasks for you to tackle over the next few weeks to help your lawn, gardens and landscaping look their best when warmer weather arrives.

In this post, let’s go over the top yard maintenance jobs to focus on – and pro tips for getting them done right.

Let’s dig in!

1. Know When to Prune Different Plants

Correct pruning helps your trees, shrubs and bushes thrive – and look sharp. But timing is key, since you don’t want to inadvertently snip flower buds.

For summer bloomers – think butterfly bushes, hydrangeas and roses – prune in late winter/early spring before new growth starts to emerge. This allows the plant time to grow branches that will hold flowers.

Prune spring bloomers like lilacs, azaleas and forsythia just after they bloom. Pruning too soon cuts off next year’s flower buds.

Use clean, sterilized pruners, always making cuts above outward facing buds or side shoots. The same applies to cutting dead, damaged or crossing branches. For overgrown shrubs, prune back by up to one-third of total height.

Bottom line: A little bit of pruning done now will mean gorgeous, lush growth all throughout the season!

2. Prep Soil for Planting

Prepare your planting beds and gardens while the soil is still cold and wet. Pull any weeds that may have grown, rake excess leaves/debris and incorporate compost or fertilizer. This prepares the soil to later sow seeds or plant seedlings.

For veggie gardens, test the soil pH and amend if necessary. Most vegetables like a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. If too acid, add lime; if too alkaline, add sulfur. Rake beds smooth, make planting rows or grids. Cover with plastic or fabric row covers to warm the soil sooner.

All of that effort you put in now results in healthier, more productive plants come planting season!

3. Take Care of Weeds Early

As soon as the soil has thawed and you see little weeds emerging – get to it! This makes things much easier than attempting to eradicate established weeds mid-season.

Remove it by hand for small weeds, or use an organic herbicide to treat spots. Aggressive spreads such as dandelions, thistle and crabgrass are easiest to manage when the roots are young and shallow.

For lawns, apply pre-emergent herbicide 4-6 weeks prior to your last expected frost, once your soil has reached 55°F for 5+ days. This stops many weeds in their tracks but won’t harm established grass. Not applicable if overseeding bare spots.

Keeping ahead of weeds now will allow you to enjoy a beautiful, healthy lawn and landscape all spring and summer long!

4. Fill in Bare Patches

Bare patches can appear from heavy traffic, pet urine spots, or damage from plows. As soon as you can get on the ground in early spring, scatter grass seed over any thin or bare patches.

Loosen the top 1/2 inch of soil first with a steel rake. Mix in a thin layer of compost to feed seedlings. Unless in deep shade, look for a sun and shade grass seed mix. Gently rake seeds into the soil to maintain good seed-to-soil contact.

Water lightly to dampen seeds and prevent them from drying out. A light amount of straw or grass clipping on top, to cover seeds, will help protect it. And keep light mulching materials handy so that sunlight can reach fledgling grass blades.

The catch is that pre-emergent herbicides also stop grass seeds from germinating. So, seed bare patches as early as you can, prior to applying crabgrass preventer. Sod may be more effective than seeding for big dead zones or entirely bare spaces.

5. Hold Off on Fertilizer

You’re maybe tempted to give your lawn some nutrients boost as early as in spring. But high nitrogen application too early promotes a burst of rapid top growth at the cost of deeper roots. That weak root system means grass is more vulnerable to heat stress, drought damage and disease as summer approaches.

Fertilize in the fall for a healthy lawn as grass plants will naturally be growing a deeper root system. Fall fertilization also feeds the plant through the winter and encourages a rapid green-up in the spring with no surge in weak top growth.

If you must fertilize in spring, seek a low nitrogen, high phosphorus formula. Phosphorus helps roots grow strong, it also facilitates seed germination.

6. Take Care of Thatch Buildup

Thatch is a dense layer of dead and living grass stems and roots that accumulates between the grass and the soil surface. A little thatch is normal, but excessive amounts block water, air, and nutrients from reaching grass roots.

Some indications of excessive thatch include thinning turf, moss growing, and wet spots that linger. Check thatch depth with a screwdriver or soil probe – ideal is 1/2 inch or below. If you have grass that’s that much thicker, spring is a good time to dethatch before grass starts growing fast again.

For small areas, use a thatching rake – the manual stiff-toothed rake for dethatching – or mechanized dethatcher. For large lawns, rent a power dethatcher. Just be sure that the lawn is completely dry beforehand; dethatching on soggy soil damages grass. Clear away debris and aerate compacted areas afterward.

7. Aerate Compacted Soil

After months of foot traffic, winter freeze and thaw cycles and snow cover, the soil in your lawn is probably rock hard. When soil is compacted, it stops air and water from flowing to grass roots. The outcome is weaker turf and more weeds, diseases and bare patches.

Spring aeration uses hollow tines to poke holes through compacted layers. This also allows water, oxygen and nutrients to access roots. It also allows grass to gain a more solid base and aid in thatch decomposition.

For the best results, rent a core aerator and move back and forth over the lawn in crisscrossing directions. Aerate the brown areas of soil when moist but firming up. Do not aerate soggy ground or when temperatures are above 85°F; soil should dry for a few days after reached down before mowing. Then fertilize to fill in the holes and encourage root growth.

8. Edge along Beds and Walkways

Sharp, crisp bed edges and neat, intentional-looking landscapes. Grass inevitably creeps over flower beds, into cracks in paths and other spaces over the winter.

Reestablish those boundaries by early spring, before weeds begin taking hold. Cut a defined line between lawn and garden beds with an edger. A motorized edger does short work of straight paths. Or rake a half-moon edger along curving bed edges.

Make sure to remove grass clumps and roots from newly edged zones. Applying fresh mulch on top of beds after edging creates a polished, finished look. Maintain edges every few weeks into spring and summer to keep things neat.

9. Divide Overgrown Perennials

The best time to divide overgrown clumps is in early spring, before most perennials leaf out. Tropical plants such as bee balm, asters, sedums and daylilies grow very large, as well, fairly quickly. Dividing crowded clumps every 3-5 years renews growth.

Begin with a garden fork by uprooting the entire plant and root mass. Carefully break or cut the root ball into smaller chunks. Replant divisions in the garden, or share any extras with gardening friends. Add compost to replenish soil nutrients.

Divided perennials rejuvenate and form plenty (and usually bigger) flowers. This also helps limit the spread of more aggressive perennial species. For best results, do this early before the buds set.

What’s On Your Spring Yard Care To Do List?

There you have it – the things you need to do to prepare your yard for the spring. What projects do you plan to take on this year? If you have more questions or need further guidance, feel free to ask in the comments below.