Ah, Spring!
After a cold, dark winter, you’ll find your garden beginning to take bloom and it’s the signal for spending more quality time outside in your yard. In fact, it’s the perfect time to tend to your lawn. Especially if you’ve not been able to pay it the required attention during the winter months.
Springtime is key for your lawn, exactly because of the seasons that sandwich it. Winter stifles lawn growth and health, but Summer is probably when you’ll spend the most time on your lawn. So Spring is vital for your lawn to recover and replenish.
There are several simple things you can do as Spring arrives that will ensure your lawn thrives again.
Clear Lawn Debris
Your lawn sweeper is the perfect tool to clear any clutter or debris from the surface of your lawn.
A clear lawn, very simply, promotes grass growth as the grass is not weighed down or covered. It allows for better airflow across the turf by loosening the surface of the soil and lets the blades get more exposure to sunlight. And not just sunlight, but water too. It also makes it easier to plant new grass seeds. Long term, it prevents the grass from thatching.
If you’ve experienced a white winter, your lawn may be carrying some snow mold. Mold can lead to disease and infestation so using your lawn sweeper will also get rid of this.
Apply New Grass Seeds
Clearing debris should make it easier to identify parts of your lawn that are patchy or contain dead grass following the winter.
To plant new grass, first make sure that you haven’t used weed killer on these areas either before or after planting, as that will seriously hinder grass growth. Loosen up the existing soil. You may wish to replace some of the old soil with new, fresh, healthy soil. Use a good quality grass seed and plant it liberally but evenly, around one quarter of an inch below the soil surface. It helps to add fertilizer straight away. We recommend using an organic fertilizer.
Finally, water lightly (i.e. so that the areas do not become waterlogged) but make sure you water regularly – at least once a day, even more on drier or warmer days. Also, do not walk on the designated areas because this could damage lawn seedlings.
Water Lots
After a dry winter, your lawn is bound to be thirsty and will need plenty of water to replenish its strength and color.
Contrary to how you should water newly-planted seeds, the rest of your lawn should be watered heavily but infrequently. Watering heavily means water is absorbed deep into the soil. This in turn encourages the root of the grass to grow deeper into the soil leading to a stronger, more durable lawn.
Watering lightly but frequently (as with newly-planted grass) actually leads to weaker grass since the roots stay near the surface of the soil.
Aerating Your Lawn
Aerating your lawn simply means punching holes in the soil – using a lawn aerator – so that air can pass freely under the surface. The air allows easy delivery of water, fertilizer and nutrients to the grass roots.
Without aeration, the soil becomes highly compact. This makes it far more difficult for the roots of your lawn to get the good stuff they need to grow strong.
Use Fertilizer
After winter, your lawn will need a Spring boost beyond just water. We recommend the use of (organic) fertilizer to give your lawn a jump start. The injection of nutrients will also prepare your lawn for a dry and hot summer.
Mow regularly
Mowing your lawn frequently during Spring strengthens the roots in time for summer. We recommend that grass should be mowed at a higher length than usual following Winter. An optimum length is between 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Keeping the grass a bit longer assists the strengthening of the roots after a cold winter.