Want to Make Your Neighbors Jealous this Summer? 5 Spring Lawn Tips to Make That Happen

Spring is rapidly approaching, causing the thoughts of many to want to turn that brown patch found just outside the front door into an expanse of green. To ensure your lawn grows bright and lush as the weather warms, it’s important that you get up out of that Barcalounger, head outside and do the kinds of things that will make your lawn healthy and happy—it may not sing or whistle, but it’ll surely wish it could. To learn more about proper lawn care in Tampa, Orlando & Brevard County during different times of the year, contact the professionals at Apex. Our experts can offer both advice and services that can help to ensure a beautiful lawn this year. Below are five areas of lawn care that are particularly important during the spring months.

Mowing the Lawn

Mowing your lawn in the spring should be done carefully to make sure you don’t abuse your grass. Keep the blades higher than in the summer to encourage thick growth which will crowd out weeds. Doing so will mean you will need to mow more often, generally once a week. Also be sure to keep those blades sharp; when dull they can tear the grass causing a ragged looking lawn. It’s also a good idea to mulch the cut grass because it causes nutrients to recycle back into the soil.

Fertilizing

It’s generally a good idea to fertilize your lawn four to five times every year, with one of those times occurring during the spring when the grass is waking from the cool of winter. Using the right fertilizer is critical: it’s your lawn’s sole source of nutrients. To find out which fertilizer is right for your lawn, test the soil for PH level and then choose a fertilizer with a blend that will balance the acidity or alkalinity of your yard—use a granular brand so you won’t have to apply it very often.

Weeding

During the spring it’s critical that you go toe-to-toe with weeds. Don’t allow them to gain an advantage because there are several things you can do in addition to pulling them up. First mow your grass higher than in the summer to encourage a thick lawn that will overwhelm weeds. Also water just enough to keep the grass healthy: healthy grass discourages weed growth. If you already have weeds, use a product like Weed & Feed because it fertilizes and also kills weeds. And finally, use a lawn care product containing a pre-emergent to prevent new weeds from getting started.

Core Aeration

One of the main things you can do to help your lawn in the spring is apply core aeration. This is where a tool is used to grab “plugs” of grass and the dirt they are in from random spots in your yard. The purpose of core aeration is to relieve pressure in the soil, which helps fertilizer get to where it needs to go. It also helps to make roots stronger and later on will make your yard better able to tolerate heat and drought.

Overseeding

Sprinkling seed on your yard every year in the spring ensures new growth, which is essential for a lush lawn plus it will likely make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Timing is important though because you don’t want to sprinkle seeds when you have a pre-emergent or weed killer down, of course, because it will prevent the seeds from germinating.

For the best in lawn care in Tampa, Orlando & Brevard County, contact the experts at Apex, we offer tips, advice and services such as fertilization, weed treatments and pest control to help you have a lawn that will be the envy of your neighborhood.