It won’t be long. Sure, it’s technically still winter for another month, but you’ve seen some plants blooming prematurely already. It’s time to think about what you need to do this spring to have a great yard this summer.
We’ve been looking around for good ideas on the Web, and we particularly like this article that lists lots of ways to get your little corner of the planet ready for warm weather.
Boiled down a bit – with a thought or two added from other sites – here are a few of the key suggestions:
- Start with a rake — Remove leaves and other debris, and break up the thatch, which can block sunlight and keep nutrients from your grass.
- Reseed bare patches – Loosen up the soil a bit and add some compost along with the seed.
- Check your tools – Now’s the time for repairs or replacement, before you get up one Saturday morning and need them right then. You might want to invest in a new, sharp blade for your lawn mower.
- Apply mulch – Put down a 2- to 3-inch layer around the base of plants, trees and shrubs as well as emerging bulbs and perennials. It’s good for the plants, and looks good, too.
- Fertilize growing plants – You can do this with compost, aged manure or all-purpose organic fertilizer if you want to stay natural. Start with plants in containers.
- Aerate – This can be tedious, but not too bad if you get some of those special shoes.
- Prune broken or diseased limbs – This is the time to get out those loppers, before things get warm!
- Don’t have compost pile? Start one now – A great way to reduce your trash while nurturing your yard!
- Mow your lawn to the right height – 2.5 to 3.5 inches is recommended, and then you should mow frequently so that no more than one-third of the grass is cut at a time.
- Give new plants a good soaking – And keep the soil around them moist during the first growing season, to get them off to a good start.
- Attract birds – We didn’t know it until we read this article, but “A single chickadee can consume up to 1,000 bad bugs a day.”
There’s more, but this should get you started. Good luck!
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