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Spring Cleaning for Your Lawn – The 4 Things to Do First!

The first sunny days of spring are an excellent time to get your lawn and landscape ready for warm weather use. After a long, cold winter, it should feel good to get outside and work in the yard. Your lawn will be enjoying the warmer weather too, but may need a little help shaking off winter doldrums.

Here are the first 4 things you should do to restore your lawn’s vitality and encouraging healthy, green growth:

1. Topdressing Your Lawn

topdressing with soilSpring is the best time to topdress your lawn with high quality, screened topsoil or a triple mix of topsoil, peat moss and compost. If your lawn looks lumpy and uneven or has bare patches and dead spots, topdressing is the most important step in restoring your lawn’s health. Lightly spread a thin layer of topsoil or triple mix, adding more in low, sunken spots. Late May is generally a good time for topdressing.

Overseeding in combination with topdressing will dramatically increase the short term results. A light overseeding of perennial rye will have your lawn looking green and fresh in a matter of days. Perennial rye is quick to germinate and grow and generally resistant to pests and disease. Add extra seed in spots that are bare or where the existing turf is thin. Renting an aerator for the day will make topdressing and overseeding even more effective, particularly if you have heavy or compacted soils.

2. Adding Mulch to Planting Beds

mulch in natural stone gardenSpring is also a good time to top off the mulch in planting beds. Don’t remove any of the old mulch; let it continue to break down and improve the soil. Add two or three inches of new mulch on top of what is already there. It will make your planting beds look clean and fresh. Do this in early spring before perennials start to pop up. That way you won’t have to pull back foliage to mulch under and around them.

3. Defining Planting Beds

After a winter of snow and ice, mulch and mounded planting beds may be migrating into your lawn. Bed edging is the best solution for defining planting bed boundaries. While plastic bed edging is inexpensive and easy to install, it often pops up above ground level and looks unsightly. A border of natural stone or retaining wall stone looks and works much better to keep mulch and soil in place. Set it about four inches into the ground for stability and a natural appearance. Several inches will remain above ground. For extra stability, add three or four inches of drainage stone under the larger garden edging stone. This is a fun spring project that will update the look of your landscape and make regular maintenance a little easier.

4. Upkeep for Walks and Drives

natural stone walkwayLike your planting beds, gravel walks and drives can look a little tired and dingy at the end of winter. A thin layer of new aggregate to top off existing gravel surfaces will keep them looking fresh so they match the rest of your landscape. Smooth out any uneven spots before putting down new stone. Try to match the existing aggregate as closely as possible.

While you are at it, take a close look at walks or patios surfaced with pavers. If there are sunken pavers, pull them out, add a little sand so the finished level will match and replace the pavers. Add new polymeric sand to fill in the paver joints.

Spring is the best time to rejuvenate your lawn and freshen up your landscape. After completing these few simple tasks, sit back in a lawn chair to enjoy your yard and the warmth of spring.

To pickup any of the supplies you need for complete spring cleaning & landscape maintenance, visit one of our locations today!