Early Spring Lawn Care Maintenance Tips

Spring is upon us and with April showers we can assure you there will be May flowers. This includes high grass and unwanted weeds. There is nothing like a fresh cut green lawn to make you proud of your home.

We have compiled a list of our top early Spring lawn care tips. Get started now so that you can have a beautiful lawn all year long.

Tune Up Your Mower: It’s important to ensure your mower is ready for the seasons ahead. The major parts of your lawn mower should be functioning well and be in good condition if it’s going to last you all season. Double check your blades and make sure they are not bent, broken, rusted or damaged in any other way. Be sure your mower has fresh clean oil. The oil that sat in the reservoir all winter long is likely bad and needs to be drained and replaced with fresh oil. Be sure there are no cracks or holes in your gas tank or oil reservoirs. Ensure the hand bars are functioning appropriately and the cranks are not catching on anything. Many times the weathering process can wear down fibers on crank ropes or cords so you may want to replace yours if you notice any fraying. Clean out around the blades to ensure nothing is compacted and keeping them from rotating.

With a tuned up mower you are prepared for the spring and summer seasons ahead of you. Don’t have a mower? No problem. Our team at Neighbor’s Lawn care is a cut above the rest and on standby to ensure your lawn care needs are met to the fullest. Contact us today for a consultation.

Clean up: Do a quick walk around your lawn and pick up any debris that has blown into your yard through all the April Texas storms. We know it’s tornado season so you will likely need to police your lawn weekly during this time. Pick up large sticks, twigs, rocks and other debris that may damage your mower or become shrapnel when your mower blades kick them up. This will help maintain the aesthetic appeal of your lawn and prevent damage to your mower and yourself.  

Repair Bald Spots: There are many reasons you may end up with bald spots on your lawn. The top reason is pets. You may also experience yellow spots from pet urine. It’s important to keep pet feces cleaned up all year long to prevent yellowing or bald spots.

If you have a bald spot you can easily fix it with some seed. Ensure you water the new seeds daily for at least a week. We recommend you don’t mow over that spot until the grass is at least 2 inches high or even with the surrounding grass. You shouldn’t need a seed spreader for minor bald spots but you do want to ensure you have enough seed to cover the entire spot. Follow the directions on the packaging for your seed.

Southern Weed Control: It’s no secret that weeds are a common thing in the southern states. Texas predominantly sees, dollar weed, clovers and dandelions. Now is the time to fight the weeds. Get them while it’s still early. You likely have a fire ant issue as well so you will want to find a triple action weed  and ant killer with grass fertilizer.

Choosing the correct chemical can be a headache. For most of the fertilizers and weed killers you will want to wait for a week that isn’t calling for heavy rainfall. Flash flooding can wash away your fertilizer and weed killers. Check your weather and choose a nice sunny day. Water your freshly fertilized lawn for about 10-15 minutes to ensure the fertilizer soaks in well. Allow the lawn 30-60 minutes to dry before allowing pets or people on the lawn.

Mow High: Set your blade height for 3”-4”. Most turf type grasses thrive best at that height due to the root depths. Many people think if they trim at the lowest level they won’t have to mow as often but this can be very damaging to your lawn because those deep seeded roots may not get enough moisture if trimmed to low and they will die off quicker. If you want to maintain a lush green lawn, setting your blade higher for the early Spring season is your best bet. The grass will benefit greatly from all the early rain fall. For shallow roots, trimming to low will result in washing up your grass all together and you will have multiple bald spots around your lawn.
Don’t know how to determine what height your blade should be at? No problem. Call us for a free consultation and we can assist you with that as well.

Edge Beds: Now is the time to start edging up your flower beds. This will give your lawn that crisp clean look all season long. You can also apply fresh mulch to those beds that give your lawn that transitional color pop all season long. You want to replace your mulch every year and many people neglect that. Also take some time to pull weeds out of your flower beds before adding mulch and trim your hedges and bushes so they don’t have stray twigs and branches. Early spring is the perfect time for planting new bulbs and flower seeds. They get all the sunshine and water they need but you want to ensure you have evicted all your weeds to prevent them from suffocating your new spring flowers.
 
                                         Start on Your Lawn Today!
Now is the perfect time to get started on all of this. It may seem like a lot and we totally understand. At Neighbor’s Lawn Care we are more than happy to assist you with all of your lawn care needs. Let us get your lawn all set for this season. Call us today for a free consultation and we will get you on the track to a lush, beautiful, green lawn this year!