Spring Lawn Care Tips From Athens Lawn Care & Service

With spring comes warmer weather, may showers, spring flowers, the works! We love this time of year because it’s when the lawn season really starts to pick up, and we get to get back to what we love to do. The busy season can be tough, and there are a few key things to keep in mind if you’re looking to do your lawn care yourself, or hire a company to take care of it for you. When spring rolls around, grass needed a little extra care to bounce back after the winter, when it goes into a hibernation type state. These extra little steps will prepare your grass to come back stronger and healthier than ever! 

1. Rake your lawn, and make sure to dethatch the grass in the yard. Thatch is what happens when dead leaf particles, twigs, and dead grass blades all combine in the grass to form a layer of old organic material, that sits in between the healthy grass blades. This layer of thatch can be around ½ an inch thick after not being raked since the fall, and it can inhibit growth. Raking also helps remove any clumps in the grass, and gives it a fresh palette to grow from. 
2. Investigate any weeds: spring is a great time to check out the yard, and see if any weeds have taken hold of your grass during the winter months. If crabgrass is typically a problem for your yard, now is a great time to apply pre emergent herbicide, since it can be a little tricky to get rid of. Most herbicides have careful instructions to follow, including the month during which they recommend application, so be sure to check on that depending on the brand. Pre emergent herbicides can be great because they prevent the seeds of the weeds from germinating, thus preventing them from growing in your grass. Post emergent herbicides may be used for annual or perennial weeds that can occur. 
3. Overseeding: if your yard suffers from patchy or thin bits of grass, now is a great time overseed your lawn. Overseeding refers to spreading grass seed around existing lawns, to bulk up the grass growth. The best time to do this is after the grass has already started to green up a little bit, so if your grass still looks yellow, give it a couple weeds before application. 
4. Mowing: once your grass starts growing again, you're good to begin mowing once more! There are differing opinions on this, but we recommend letting your grass grow a little bit, and then mowing it at 3-4 inches, to give it a little extra length at the start of the season. The thought behind this is that the longer blades can grow deeper roots, which can help them get more water and nutrients at the start of the season. 

So there you have it! These are great general guidelines to remember when restarting your spring lawn care routine, and they can also be helpful when hiring a new lawn care team! Let us know if you have any questions or want to share any landscaping tips with us! 

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