By now you’re itching to get outside and get your yard prepped to welcome spring. Here is your spring checklist to make sure your yard lives up to your expectations.
Spring Lawn Care Tips and More from Thompson Creek
Prune it perfect
- Ready to smell the roses? Better prune them for their best showing. Mid-March is the time to start pruning off the dead branches. Look for green just under the surface of a branch. Green branches stay, brown ones get cut.
- Trim your overgrown evergreens back to the size and direction you desire
- Prune summer-flowering shrubs in early spring before their new growth explodes. Leave spring-flowering shrubs until after they complete their flowering cycle.
Clean up the beds
Now is the time to prep your flowerbeds for the spring show.
- Removing plant debris
- Rake out late-falling leaves. Make sure to wait until the beds dry out a bit to be sure you don’t rake into the bed disrupting slumbering plantings.
- Remove existing mulch when warm temperatures even out
- Cut down ornamental grasses to within two inches of the ground
- Pull weeds that made an early appearance. The University of Maryland Extension has a helpful list of spring weeds commonly found in this area and how to keep them out of your yard.
- Apply a two-inch layer of mulch to beds to prevent new weeds from popping up
- Edge the beds which will help to keep your mulch in place but also gives your beds a manicured appearance
Lay down the lawn
Homeowners often dream all winter about a lush spring lawn but it may be more difficult in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and southern Pennsylvania to have that picturesque lawn than you think. This area is in what’s called the Transition zone climate. That means homeowners can battle climate to achieve their dream lawn all year long.
- Get a soil test. The best way to understand how to get the most of your lawn is by knowing the type of nutrients your lawn needs.
- Resist the urge to immediately fertilize. Lawns fertilized too early will promote shoot growth and not root growth. Find out more about fertilizing your Mid-Atlantic lawn here.
- Get on top of early crabgrasses by applying a pre-emergent herbicide once temperatures hit a consistent 55 degrees.
Patch and Prep
- Ice can do damage to your hardscape when precipitation freezes in cracks and crevasses. Remove broken patio pieces, replenish the base material and set new pavers or flagstone pieces.
- Pressure wash patios and porches to remove slippery algae or staining from molded leaves
- Repair fencing and latticework. Winter storms can batter your fencing or break your lattice. Scrape and sand once temperatures reach 50 degrees for a consistent time.
Tune up
Before you get ready to power your way into spring, make sure you have the tools you need and they are ready to go too!
- Your lawn mower may struggle to start after its winter hibernation. To get it ready to go, spring lawn mower maintenance should include changing the spark plug, the air filter, the oil and sharpening the blade.
- Sharpen your pruning shears
- Inspect and test your yard irrigation system. Consider replacing leaking or inefficient version with WaterSense labeled spray sprinter bodies which can regulate pressure and flow rate.
Spring Lawn Care Tips and More from Thompson Creek
Get out of the gate early this spring when it comes to getting your yard spring-ready. For help in getting your home spring-ready call the professionals at Thompson Creek. We are your go-to experts for your spring roofing, siding, windows, gutters project and more!