As winter loosens its grip, a lush green lawn is the essence of the warmer days that Canadians have ahead of them. A healthy lawn does more than provide aesthetics and complement our garden. For many, it is an arena for summer games and picnics while providing us with a cool breeze on hot days. However, many might find themselves fighting a battle against weeds and patchy spots without proper spring lawn care.
Your Healthy Lawn Journey
Your lawn is tender at the turn of spring and needs proper care to thrive for the rest of the year. Breaking the lawnmower out of the garage and chopping away is not enough, which is why we have compiled a list of lawn care tips for a thick and healthy lawn below:
- Rake lawn
- Dethatch lawn
- Aerate lawn
- Check Soil quality
- Overseed lawn
- Weed and insect control
- Fertilize lawn
For homeowners, these are the tasks you should complete in the spring to cultivate a wholesome lawn all year round.
Rake Lawn
At the turn of the season, your lawn will require raking to remove any fallen leaves, debris, and grass that has died during the winter. This should be done when the soil is completely dry as you may pull up healthy grass if it’s too wet.
Dethatch Lawn
Thatch acts as a barrier, preventing your grassroots from receiving the water, oxygen, and nutrients they require to thrive, leaving your lawn susceptible to disease and insects.
Thatch is a layer of organic matter consisting mostly of dead grass that stands between the top of your lawn and its root system. If the thatch on your lawn is thicker than 12 millimetres, it is critical that you take care of it as quickly as possible.
Aerate Lawn
Aeration is best done in the fall, but if you’re in a pinch, you might have to do it in the spring. Your soil is more likely to become compacted if it is rich in clay. Compacted soil makes it too dense for water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.
If the soil in your lawn has gotten compacted, it’s time to break it up and allow it to breathe again.
Check Soil Quality
A damp but not waterlogged soil is great for grass. The soil should be at proper levels of phosphorus, potassium, pH, and lime. Apply a thin layer of topsoil or compost to your grass, no more than 10 mm thick.
Overseed Lawn
Drought-resistant and durable grass mixes that help avoid insects and disease are best introduced in the spring. After overseeding, it’s essential to nurture your newly seeded grass for the first few weeks.
Weed and Insect Control
Weeds and insects can often be a nuisance when caring for your lawn, pull broadleaf weeds by hand throughout the season to avoid flowering and seeding.
To eliminate grubs, apply nematodes to your lawn, and overseeding with perennial ryegrass will reduce chinch bugs, bluegrass billbugs, and sod webworms. A lawn overrun with grubs may result in barren patches as certain species of grubs feed on grass roots.
Fertilize Lawn
Nitrogen-rich, slow-release fertilizers are your lawn’s best buddy. A high-quality fertilizer will nourish your grass while also protecting it from drought and heat. However, if you’ve used herbicides, you shouldn’t fertilize your lawn, just like you shouldn’t overseed it if you haven’t already.
Other Tips
Your spring lawn care isn’t complete without your lawn mower tune-up. There is nothing is more aggravating than hauling out your lawnmower in the summer and having trouble getting it to start. Tuning up your mower entails checking and servicing the blade, changing the oil, spark plug, filter and finally, filling the fuel tank.
Enjoy Your Lawn, Leave the Hard Work to the Pros
Follow these spring lawn care guidelines to ensure that your lawn thrives throughout the year. If you don’t have the time to devote to all the tasks, consider hiring a professional lawn care company to take care of them for you.
Reach out to us at Hunt Club East Lawn and Snow services. We offer extensive packages and widespread availability in Ottawa.