Do you want to care for your lawn the right way, but you’re not sure what to do with each season that passes by? Having a lush lawn no matter the weather will seriously boost your home’s curb appeal. Here’s an easy-to-follow lawn maintenance schedule so that you can have gorgeous grass all year long.
Early Springtime
The beginning of the spring is the best time to start prepping for proper lawn maintenance, and preparation is the key to the rest of the year going smoothly. This is the key time to prep for upcoming growing and mowing. Here’s what you should do at the beginning of the spring:
1. Sharpen your mower blades.
Having sharp blades means that you’ll get clean cuts. If your blades are dull, the grass will tear, leaving you with jagged edges that can throw off the lawn’s color. When mowing season begins, you should sharpen the blades monthly. It’s also a good idea to keep a backup blade on hand in case you start mowing and realize your current blade needs sharpening.
2. Give your mower a tune-up.
Replace the sparkplug and air filter in your mower, even if it doesn’t 100% need it. By tuning up your mower every season – which is an inexpensive task – you’ll never have to wonder if it’s time to replace the parts.
3. Purchase fresh gasoline.
By leaving the gas sitting over the winter, it can accumulate moisture that’s damaging to small engines. Get rid of the old gasoline by following your city or county’s rules and bringing it to a proper disposal site.
4. Clean your lawn.
Give your lawn a good cleaning by raking any leaves and twigs that are leftover from the winter. Having a clean lawn gives you a good surface for herbicides and fertilizer.
Springtime
While growth varies based on weather, this is the time of year when a lot of people start seeing growth in their lawn. You need to be ready for the first cut of the year. Just make sure to never mow the lawn when it’s wet, which could clog up the mower and even spread disease.
1. Fertilize the lawn.
The springtime is a great time to fertilize, as is the fall in some areas of the country. In the spring, apply the fertilizer as soon as you notice new growth. Make sure to closely adhere to the directions on the fertilizer. If you’re in an area that sees very cold winters, consider fertilizing in the fall, because the grass will be dormant over the winter and store the energy for the spring.
2. Aerate the lawn.
Aerating is a process that puts small holes in the lawn so that the oxygen, water and fertilizer has an easier time reaching the roots. Aerate on a day when the soil is damn (not soaking wet), because this is when aeration machines work best.
3. Put down pre-emergent herbicides.
In order to ward off weeds and crabgrass, you’ll want to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. Apply this product when the soil temperature is 58 degrees – you’ll want to get a soil thermometer to help you with this step.
Early Summertime
Summertime comes with its own set of lawn issues, from pests and weeds to fast-growing grass that can be hard to keep up with. These three steps will bring you into the summer season with a beautiful lawn.
1. Keep an eye out for grubs.
When the weather starts to get warmer in the beginning of summer, grubs begin to feed on root systems. You’ll know you have a grub problem if you notice brown or wilting patches of grass. However, in order to be sure this is the issue and there’s not another problem you should deal with, pull the sod back and look for the presence of grubs, which are white and shaped like the letter “C.” If there are more than 10 grubs for every square foot, treat the lawn with a chemical pesticide.
2. Mow more frequently.
Grass starts to grow quickly during the summertime. You’ll want to mow frequently, at least once a week if not more, in order to keep up with it. Consider mowing more often, because you only want to remove one-third of the grass blade each time you mow.
3. Take care of weeds.
If there are weeds that managed to survive despite your herbicide application at the beginning of the summer, use a garden fork to get rid of them. You can use the post-emergent herbicide again, but only if the weeds becomes too much for you to deal with on your own.
Summertime
The summer is the prime time for grass growing and mowing. Something to keep in mind for the summertime is that the taller your grass is, the deeper its roots are, which means there will be fewer weeds and better moisture-retention. Here’s what you need to do this time of year to keep your lawn super healthy.
1. Reposition your mower blade.
Set your lawnmower’s blade height to three inches. You want the grass to grow a little longer during the summertime so that your lawn is as lush as possible.
2. Water correctly.
Instead of watering often, water infrequently and deeply. This is how you’ll encourage deep root growth. For most lawns, you’ll want to give the grass approximately one inch of water each week. Not sure how much water your lawn’s getting? Put a few pie tins around your lawn to see the water that collects in them from the sprinkler.
3. Keep your mower clean.
Every month, make sure to clean the underneath part of your mower so that it doesn’t spread lawn diseases.
4. Keep the lawn clean.
Some grass clippings are okay to leave on your lawn because they’ll provide nourishment to the lawn as they decompose. However, you should regularly get rid of big clumps, as well as debris, twigs and leaves.
Early Autumn
By the end of the summer, hot, dry temperatures turn into cooler days. This is a fairly easy time when it comes to lawn maintenance, but you’ll want to keep these quick tips in mind for dealing with bare patches.
1. Get rid of dead grass.
2. Use a trowel to breakup soil.
3. Add one inch of compost and make sure to work it into the soil.
4. Add grass seed, choosing a variety that’s intended for either shade or full sun, based on your needs. Spread the seed evenly across any bare patches.
5. Work the seed half an inch into the soil. You’ll want to use a hard-tooth rake for this process.
6. Sprinkle clippings of grass over the bare path. This will keep the soil from drying out.
7. Keep the area moist, watering a little bit each day until the new grass grows to one inch.
Autumn
During the autumn, the biggest lawn issue to take care of is keeping it leaf-free.
By taking care of your lawn from spring through fall, you’ll make sure it’s in its healthiest state when it goes dormant in winter, allowing it to save up the energy it needs to start thriving again when spring comes around.
