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Get your lawn ready for a beautiful year

Most of us love to have a beautiful lush lawn and now is the time to start planning and preparing. There are several things that you can do to help your grass be as healthy and lush as possible this year. Here are a few tips that will help you prepare your lawn this early spring for the year ahead.

These past few years most of us have become more aware and familiar with natural fertilizers and water conservation. Check your irrigation system and if your haven’t already done so in the last few years think about changing your sprinkler heads to more water efficient heads. By doing this you can cut your water usage in some situations by a third but also get superior water coverage over the grass area.

If you have a ‘drip zone’ it’s a good idea to open up the end of the drip run, turn on the valve and run that zone for 10 to 15 seconds to clean out any sediment that may have gotten into the line over the winter. This will help prevent clogged emitters and misters.

If you’re using the hose and sprinkler system think about buying an automated valve you can hook up right to your hose bid. DIG irrigation products makes great user friendly valves that are available at most local hardware stores. These products will save you not just in the water usage department but the inevitable situation of the late night that your in bed and hear that sound of running water outside because you forgot to turn off your sprinkler…. For this reason alone it’s a great idea to invest in this product!

It’s also time to apply fertilizer with a per-emergent otherwise know as ‘weed and feed’. This will cut unnecessary yard time down during the growing season by taking care of the weeds now. Most of these products are sold in a granular form and can be applied using a broadcast spreader. Application rate and other technical information are always listed on the bag. There also natural fertilizers that can be applied.

Spring is also the time to add Lime. The rule of thumb is 8-10 lb. per 1,000 sq. feet. PH is an important aspect of turf care and your lawn will appreciate the PH boost that a lime application will give it.

IF it has been several years or you’ve never aerated your lawn Spring is the time. The benefits of aeration are different depending on your situation. Aerating your lawn gives hard compacted soil a chance to ‘open up’ and take in needed nutrients and water that other wise are not getting into the roots. This will also help the over seeding process. In most situations aeration is beneficial once every 2 to 3 years.

These are a few suggestions that will help you have a greener more beautiful lawn this year.