If you’re a new homeowner and just moved into your home, then a very important thing is to look after your lawn. When early spring comes, you have to prepare your lawn so it looks nice when the time comes.
Having a good-looking lawn always helps increase the overall curb appeal of your home, making it one of the most important tasks for early spring. But if you have no idea how to do it, fear not as we have 7 early spring lawn maintenance tips for new homeowners that will take care of everything.
Without further ado, let’s start.
1. Rake the Moment the Snow Melts
During winter periods grass hibernates and prepares for spring. The first thing you’ll be doing is waiting for the snow to melt and this is generally the time you’d want to rake your lawn.
Raking is done so you remove any debris leftover throughout the winter such as leaves, sticks, and other stuff. We do this since we rarely care for our lawn during the winter, and a lot of things can get on it in three or so months.
But once the snow melts and the ground is nice and dry, pick up the rake and start raking. It’s important to wait until the soil dries as there is a very big chance you’ll damage the grass’s roots in the process.
Each piece of grass needs to be very dry so its roots can cement themselves into the ground. Plowing too early and you are risking pulling out the roots. This will result in small pocket holes in your lawn, and that’s something you don’t want to be doing.
This is the number one rule of early spring lawn maintenance, and every rookie homeowner must know it.
2. Frequent Mowing
Mowing is very important for the overall curb appeal of your lawn. Mowing your lawn is the same as getting a haircut. If we don’t cut our hair frequently, we’ll end up looking like an 80s rock band.
But there are rules to follow and tips to use to make the most out of it. For starters, you’ll generally want to mow the lawn the first time somewhere four to five weeks since the first snow melts.
Also, you’ll want to cut it longer the first time you do it so it can hold onto the ground and survive the following period. Once you’ve mowed once and the grass still looks amazing, then you can do it however short you want.
3. Watering When Needing It
Watering is very important as every organism on this planet needs water. This rule is no exception to grass, but you have to know how to do it.
Generally speaking, new homeowners think they should water the lawn the first chance they get. This isn’t a very smart idea as the ground has plenty of water deposits from the previous winter.
If you feel like the grass is missing water, don’t because it can easily tap into these potential deposits.
If you ask the experts regarding when to water, they’ll generally tell you to do it whenever temperatures exceed 70-degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Acquire High-Quality Seeds
If your yard has terrible grass that looks beyond salvation, then maybe it’s time to rejuvenate it with fresh seeds.
There isn’t a more satisfying thing than planting your very own grass. But you have to acquire high-quality seeds to grow a beautiful lawn. There are tons of places that sell these seeds, but there is also another way.
Instead of planting and waiting to grow, you could buy high-quality turf that will be instantly ready to go into your yard. This is something that many new homeowners do simply because it eliminates many of the needs that newly-grown lawns require.
For more information about high-quality turf, make sure to visit AviewTurf.
5. Install Edgings
Edgings are nothing but a simple “tool” that prevents the grass from growing anywhere that you don’t want. These can come from wood, brick, concrete, and even plastic and can be placed anywhere where you don’t want the grass the spread.
Installing edgings is very important, for obvious reasons, and every new homeowner should most-definitely own some.
6. Fertilizing
Fertilizer can help you grow a beautiful lawn since it provides the grass with the much-needed minerals and vitamins. Fertilizer makes the grass itself much stronger, much more durable, and thicker.
The obvious benefits from using fertilizer outweigh the small cost of it, and this is something you’d generally want to use when early spring comes.
Fertilizer doesn’t necessarily have to be used when growing first-time, and can also be used on an existent lawn to make it better-looking and stronger.
It is generally advised that you use fertilizer in early spring from April to June, and another batch between September to November.
7. Remove Unwanted Weeds
If you thought that growing a lawn is all about watering and mowing, then boy are you in for a treat.
If there is one thing that every homeowner despises when taking care of their yard is having to remove weeds. Weeds grow in abundance and can easily become annoying nuisances.
If you simply pick up the weed and twig it halfway down, then that won’t solve your problem. You have to eliminate the root itself if you truly want the weed gone.
A short-term solution will only cause long-term problems, so you’ll need something much better than a short-term solution.
Like we mentioned, the most effective way is to hand weed every single one you see. Make sure to pull it when they’re younger, and make sure to pull the root as well.
This will prevent it from growing but might leave holes in your yard. This is relatively easy to cover as all you have to do is reseed the spot.
If your yard is plagued with weeds, then you might have to use a different solution such as a non-chemical solution, herbicides, and anything else that can remove weeds that are made organically and naturally.