Spring Landscape Maintenance
If you’re like us, as soon as the holidays are over and the sun starts hanging around longer, we are waiting ever so impatiently for Spring to come. If you read our pre-winter blog and winterized your landscaping, then hopefully your lawn is surviving under the winter snow and will come back to thrive when the warmth returns. Spring is one of the busiest times for lawn maintenance, it isn’t a bad idea to begin your preparation now. We have compiled this list for the do-it-yourselfers, and if you need help with your lawn Spring cleanup, call Howard County’s premier landscaping company, Oaktree Landscaping.
Lawn Care
Once snow has melted, use a special spring fertilizer, if your grass requires it, and repair dead grass patches. When you use fertilizer, be sure to read the instructions to ensure that you are using the right amount and at the right time of year. As soon as the snow melts, it is time to get ahead of the weeds, before they quickly take over your lawn. Forsythia are natural time tellers, when they are in bloom, it is the perfect time to apply crabgrass weed preventer. You can revive weak lawns by dethatching, with a regular rake, and aerating.
Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcover
When Spring arrives, remove winter trunk protection, if any was used, as well as old mulch. Add a fresh layer of mulch around the base of trees and shrubs. Prune trees and shrubs and clean up dead, broken, or diseased branches. Thoroughly water new plants, especially after a long, dry winter. For ground cover, rake away any dead materials such as tree leaves and dead grass. Although it may have provided a layer of insulation under the snow, it will begin to rot in the warmth. If you have young trees, check for girdling caused by the tree outgrowing its support. A professional tree service company can help prune any large, dying trees or their stumps.
Garden
Spring is a busy time for your garden! As soon as the snow melts, remove old mulch and prune vines and rose bushes, as long as there is no risk of re-freeze. You can plant cool-season flowers and vegetables and divide the previous seasons successful perennials to ensure all of your plants have plenty of space to grow. When foliage begins growing, be sure to prune back yellow parts to allow fresh green bits to grow. Early Spring is the time to plant fruit trees and berry bushes and feed with plant food.
Hardscape
Hardscaping is relatively easy maintenance. Check concrete surfaces for cracks and repair as necessary. Gain control of weeds in rockscaping before they have the opportunity to grow, freshen up gravel or mulch as needed. For all of your outdoor furniture and decor, give them a nice cleaning and repair as necessary. Remove rust from joints and hinges and steal and stain any wood that isn’t already done. If you can’t do any of this yet, because the snow is still piling up, you can begin your preparation by tuning and sharpening lawn mower and weed whacker blades and pruning tools. Inspect your irrigation system for cracks or leaks and repair them before you need to use the sprinklers.
If you took care of winterizing your lawn before the cold set in, you have set your lawn up for a successful Spring. Even if you didn’t, there are plenty of ways to bring your yard back this year. Get prepared now. Spring is a busy time for people to work in their lawns. Spring cleanup will soon be abuzz after the winter storms clear out. If you want help cleaning up your landscaping, contact us at Oaktree Landscaping now!
