Three Key Tips For Your Lawn And And Landscape
Today, as I went outside to peel my morning paper from the frozen driveway, I noticed something that gave me a glimmer of spring warmth: the sun was shining and parts of my lawn were peaking out from below the blanket of white snow!
I don’t know about you, but that gets me all fired up to get to work on my lawn and landscape for 2009.
Here are some things that I jotted down on my “weekend to-do list” in preparation for the coming lawn care season.
Lawn Fertilization Applications
To me, getting down a good starter fertilizer in the very early spring is a “must.” This first treatment helps to wake the turf up from winter sleep and get the greening process started quickly. In addition, I also lay down a crab grass control application just to ensure I don’t have any unwanted invaders in the summer.
If you are not “DIY” inclined, then you can get the same results or better calling your local lawn care pro. Services like TruGreen are already up and scheduling routes for the spring, and calling them now ensures you get your starter treatments on time. They can also offer you other landscape services that will be beneficial to your lawn, trees and shrubs. This is a great way to go if you are busy or just don’t like getting out and fussing with the maintenance.
Lawn Mower Tune Up
I’ll assume you cut your own grass. To be honest, this is my favorite part of the whole process. I like to cut stripes in the turf like a golf course fairway or baseball outfield. But before I can go getting “all happy” with the manicure, I need to ensure my mower is in good running order.
Always change the oil prior to the season. It’s just like a car and by keeping fresh oil in the tank, you extend the life of the machine. You should also change the spark plug, tighten up or check the belts, and sharpen the blade. Once again, if you don’t want to get all dirty fixing up your lawn mower, take it in to the pros.
Local lawn mower shops are very busy in February and March doing tune ups for their customers. They all run blanket specials for these services, but you need to get in NOW. This is not an option as most shops will be well over-booked by the middle of March. The last thing you want is for your lawn to overgrow too early in the year because you don’t have access to your mower.
If you are wondering just when to start cutting your grass; look for the blooming of the magnolia trees. When they begin to flower, your lawn will surely be growing: it’s s soil temperature thing! You can also just keep an eye out for your local landscaping services pro and see when he starts mowing as well.
That’s really it guys. The key is to get out now and prepare for the year so when summer comes, you can spend your time around the pool and BBQ, and not in the lawn fighting weeds!
