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The Best Lawn Maintenance Calendar
There is nothing like taking your shoes off and digging your feet into a freshly mowed lawn. But to ensure that feeling lasts from spring through fall, here is an idea of what you should be doing each season.
Early Spring
With the right preparation, you can have the most beautiful lawn on the block. Early spring is the time of year that you should get started preparing for the mowing season. The first thing you should do is make sure that the blades on your mower are clean and sharp. If you have a dull blade, it will tear the grass and leave jagged edges. These edges then turn brown and discolor your lawn. The next step is making sure your mower’s spark plug and air filter are working properly. They may not need to be changed every season, but if they do it is a simple job you can do yourself. Next, make sure you buy new gas. Any gas you have that has sat over the winter can ruin the engine in your mower. As it sits, moisture can begin to enter your gas can. This is also the best time of year for you to greenup your lawn. You need to remove all the twigs and leaves that accumulated over the winter. If you allow a thick layer of wet leaves to form on your lawn, it can smother it and prevent it from growing properly.
Spring
Now that winter has ended, your grass will start growing in earnest and it will be time for its first cutting. Start by fertilizing your lawn. In the northern part of the country, most people recommend that you start fertilizing in the fall. The grass will store the nutrients over the winter for use in the spring. But for those that live further south, fertilizer can be applied as soon as your grass begins to actively grow. The next step you need to take to greenup your lawn is aeration. Aerating is the term for punching small holes in your lawn. It is done to help water, fertilizer, and oxygen to reach the roots of your grass. You should aerate your lawn on a day when the soil is damp but not soaking wet so that the machine can work effectively. Spring is also a good time of year to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. This can help prevent crabgrass and other weeks. You should apply the herbicide when a soil thermometer reads 58 degrees. That is the temperature at which crabgrass begins to germinate.
Early Summer
Early summer is the time of year when you have to start worrying about grub worms. These beetle larvae feed on the tender root system of your lawn. If your yard is affected by grub worms, it will show brown and wilting patches. In order to be certain that grub worms are at the heart of your lawn’s problems, you should pull back your sod and look for the white C-shaped grubs. If there are more than ten of them in a square foot, your lawn will need to be treated with a pesticide. Early summer is also the time of year when your grass grows the fastest. In fact, you may find yourself needing to mow it more than once a week to keep up. For the healthiest grass, you should mow often enough that you are never removing more than a third of the grass blade at a time.
Summer
Now that your lawn greenup has mostly taken effect, you just need to worry about maintaining your lawn for the summer. Try to set the blade on your mower to three inches for a good lawn length. You will also need to water your lawn deeply, but infrequently to make sure it grows deep roots. In general, a lawn needs to have at least one inch of water a week. Any less and the lawn will likely go dormant.
Early Fall
Now that the hot, dry days of summer have given way to cool fall nights it is time to patch any bare or thin spots on your lawn. Start by removing any dead grass and breaking up the soil with a trowel. Then add some compost and work it into the soil. Then spread the seed evenly over the bare patch of your lawn.
Fall
In fall you should be focusing on keeping your lawn free of leaves. It is also time to fertilize for those living in cold-weather climates.
Add Planting Beds of Color
To complete your greenup, adding plant beds for pops of color can be a great idea. Try picking flowers that bloom annually for a consistently beautiful yard. Bringing the kids to choose flowers can be a fun family activity. Try loading everyone up on a Saturday morning to pick out some nice blooms for a lovely family outing.
Where to Go for Pest Control
Trying to greenup your lawn all on your own is not always possible. Unfortunately, sometimes pests make a home in your yard and can be difficult to remove. Fortunately, for those living in Port St. Lucie and West Palm Beach, Reynold’s Pest Management is here to help. Contact us today.
