Caring For Your Lawn in the Spring

Neglecting your lawn at this time of year will result in damage that lasts through all four seasons. Therefore, it is important to know what you must do to take care of your lawn in the spring so that you can enjoy a lush, green lawn all year, every year. Don’t fret however; spring time lawn maintenance can be done without spending a ton of money if you know where to look.

The first thing you want to do is to rake your lawn. Although you may think that raking is a fall activity, it is important to rake your lawn because of thatch. Thatch is the layer of dead grass and other plant matter that accumulates on the lawn surface over time. A thatch build up that exceeds a half-inch height will hamper the health of your lawn, so it is important to periodically rake your lawn to keep the thatch manageable. Thatch is mostly comprised of grass, but it can also contain plant matter from the fall. Naturally, it is important to rake deeply during the fall so that too much thatch does not accumulate on your lawn. If you do a thorough job of raking during the fall, the thatch level in the spring will be easily controlled, resulting in a healthy lawn. A spring raking will also find and remove any matted patches of grass that have built up over the winter.

Another good maintenance tip for this time of year is to check for compaction, especially if your lawn is subjected to heavy traffic. If the dirt from your lawn is too compacted, then the grass will not grow as well. To combat compaction, lawns are aerated. Although aeration is recommended during the fall, springtime is the perfect time to diagnose your lawn and to make necessary plans and preparations if it appears that your lawn is indeed compacted.

Spring is also the perfect time to think about preventing weeds and other unwanted plants from taking over your lawn. If you know that annual weeds will affect your lawn, a pre-emergent herbicide should be used during the spring before the weeds begin to appear. This type of herbicide is only effective before the seedling weeds emerge, making springtime the best time to use a pre-emergent herbicide. Perennial weeds must also be taken care of. Post-emergent herbicides are better suited for the fall, so pulling weeds out by hand is the best method for dealing with perennial weeds during the spring.