I know summer is just around the corner because it’s spring and the tulips are blooming, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. It’s been raining for weeks, and I long for some sunshine. Our yard is soggy, and it’s keeping us from enjoying time outdoors. I can’t wait for longer days, more sunshine, and time to spend hanging out enjoying our backyard from morning until night to finally arrive. Our backyard is the place where we entertain friends, play lawn games (Frisbee is our favorite right now), and where I have romantic star gazing dates with my husband. It’s true, I love my lawn, and I appreciate Grass Seed USA asking me to share my tips for spring lawn care maintenance plus the surprising benefits of natural turf.
I Love My Lawn – How & Why We Keep it in Shape
We have the nicest lawn on the block and every summer we have to giggle when people walk by and comment on how nice it looks, but how they wouldn’t want our water bill. But, the jokes on them. Prepping our lawn and keeping it cared for takes less water than letting it go dry, turn brown, and become a fire hazard.
In fact, we had a deck fire just a few days ago that extended to the area under the deck. Because we take care of our turf and its environs, it didn’t become a grass fire as well. It was worth all the time and energy we’ve put into our yard to give us that green buffer to keep it from causing more damage.
The Benefits of Natural Turf
What my clueless neighbors don’t realize is that grass is more than just beautiful, it’s also functional. For me, it gives me a green and natural place that calms me and lets me get away from my daily stress. It also encourages wildlife to visit, and I love the cacophony of bird songs coming from the trees and the sound of squirrels using our fence as their superhighway to skitter from yard to yard far out of the reach of the neighborhood dogs. My favorite spot is under our grove of towering pine trees where their branches filter the sunlight while I swing in my hammock – it revitalizes and lifts my spirits.
There are also physical benefits to maintaining your lawn. It provides erosion prevention, something imperative here in the Pacific Northwest where we’ve had record rainfalls which have resulted in devastating flooding. One of the factors causing this erosion is grass that is allowed to wither. It dry compacts the dirt, causing the roots to shrivel, which keeps them too close to the surface. Without a deep and healthy root system, a lawn won’t be able to absorb the water and the runoff which can cause damage to your outdoor hardscapes or seep into your home, or worse, your neighbor’s. It’s the most cost-effective way of prevention soil erosion.
Maintaining your lawn isn’t hard. The most important step is choosing the right grass for your location. Factors like your general climate as well as specifics like the amount of sun the area gets and what other plants are in your landscape and how they affect the turf need to be considered. These factors need to be reanalyzed annually because they change. For example, our backyard had full sun with very little shade when we moved into our house 29-years ago. Now, the fir trees have grown, and our once sunny deck and lawn are shaded with the exception of a few hours around noon. But worse, the debris from the Fir trees make it nearly impossible to keep grass growing beneath them. We’ve had to change our seed blend to meet our new needs so that we can grow the best lawn possible with the least amount of work and money. Planting the appropriate seed gives us better results and lets us tailor our lawn to our family’s needs so our grass can regenerate quickly and respond to the stresses our environment throws at it.
Spring Lawn Care: What to Do NOW For a Beautiful Lawn
If you wait to do lawn maintenance until it’s time for that first mowing of the season, it’s likely too late. Long before the lawnmower makes its first appearance, my husband has already done the spring maintenance. Here in the Pacific Northwest, April through May is considered pre-season in a typical weather year and the perfect time to prep your lawn for the upcoming season.
Five Easy Steps For Spring Lawn Care
Step 1: Rake – If you haven’t kept your yard free of leaves, pinecones, and other winter debris, it’s time to get rid of them. Give your entire lawn a good raking to remove the debris and to uncover any bare, worn, mossy areas that need attention. It’s also the first step when overseeding as it increases the soil contact with the seeds and allows new, young grass to grow more easily.
Step 2: Aerate – While our lawn isn’t compacted by piles of snow or heavy winter traffic, it’s still prone to compaction. Renting a core aerator lets you quickly pull plugs of soil which increases the movement of water, nutrients, and oxygen in the ground. It can be time-consuming, and the aerator can be too heavy for some, so hiring a lawn professional may be a better choice. Make sure you verify with your professional who’s responsible for removing the plugs as many leave it up to the homeowner. If you’ve got plenty of time and not a lot of money, there are several manual aerators you can purchase and use yourself. They’re slower and take a lot of physical power, but it’s how my husband does it every year.
Step 3: Seed – Spring is a great time to reseed or overseed your lawn or to add a new turf. The milder weather of spring means the seed is less likely to dry out and it has time to grow and become healthy and ready to survive summer. Visit your local home & garden store or local University Extension Office for help in choosing the right seed. In the Seattle area visit the Department of Washington Horticultural Library web page.
Step 4: Control weeds – Lawns can become overrun by weeds and if you’ve had crabgrass or dandelions take over in the past, consider a preemptory strike now. By applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the areas that have been safe harbors for these weeds in the past, you can prevent them from growing. Be careful if you’re seeding or overseeding because herbicides can kill those precious sprouts so chat with your home garden specialist to make sure you’re using the right herbicide for your needs.
Step 5: Tune up your lawn mower – Before you start it up for the first time, your lawnmower needs its annual tune-up. You’ll need to change the oil, spark plug, and air filter and sharpen the blade for the best performance. If you’re not able to do it yourself, most lawn mower repair services will do it for a small fee and the cost of new parts. It’s time to mow your grass when it gets to about 3″ tall and cut it no shorter than 2″ tall. The exception is if you’ve seeded recently. That area shouldn’t be mowed until the new grass establishes itself. Mow as often as you need to (2-3 times a week here in the summer) so that you don’t cut more than 1/3 of the height and you leave 2″.
It sounds like a lot of work on paper, but it’s just a day or two out in the yard enjoying the beauty of the spring knowing that you’ll be rewarded with lush green grass you and your family will enjoy all summer!
Find out more about natural turf and grass seeds at We Seed America‘s Facebook and Twitter pages and follow the hashtag #ILoveMyLawn. Also, stop by the We Seed America website where you can find more benefits to natural turf plus fun facts and tips so you can have a lawn you enjoy.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful tips! This makes me want to work on my lawn, especially in the back.
My husband is mildly obsessed with our lawn and he spends hours perfecting it every year. We just had horrible storms that nearly ruined the grass in the backyard. I will share this with him to see if he can glean some useful tips. Thanks for sharing!
I am really awful at landscaping so I definitely need these tips!
All great tips! We do these every year and we also put down a protective layer against ticks and mosquitoes. Makes it easier to enjoy our back yard!
I love gardening but know nothing about lawn care. We hired someone and he takes care of everything right now. I would love to save the money and do it ourselves but it just seems like so much work. Your tips make me feel like maybe we can do it though.
WE used to have a lawn but we got rid of it since my husband has allergies. WE live in northern California where allergies are the worst. But lawns are best really.
One thing I’m afraid of if/when we buy a house – is lawn care. It might be a somewhat irrational fear, but I’m frightened to death of lawn-mowers! So many scary/creepy accidents… and I don’t want to ever use one lol 🙁
After winter, dealing with the lawn can be a chore. But is definitely worth it to take care of it so that it will look nice and healthy all spring and summer long
I would so love to have a beautiful lawn but my two dogs prevent my lawn from looking anything other than patchy! We are having the best Spring weather here in the UK at the moment…long may it last!
We used to have a dog that worked to ruin our backyard as well. We did some research until we found a grass that was better suited for the traffic patterns dogs create. It worked great and the lawn looked much better! You may be able to find a better grass for yours as well. Good luck!
These are nice tips. I should this to my parents. They might this helpful. xx
Love the look of your lawn – looks so healthy! We definitely need to have a look at lawnmowers – ours is at the end of its life and I love having a pretty green lawn around in summer! x
I love that our lawn looks so great. Our house is unusual in that the living room looks out over our backyard instead of the front. It’s our own little private oasis.
It’s really important to take good care of your lawn. These are great tips. Spring is the perfrct season for gardening.
Fortunately I don’t do yard work, HA. I will have to share your post with hubby as we’re moving into a new home with a huge yard we’ll want looking nice.
I used to do yard work before I got MS. I miss it. Maybe someday I”ll get out there again. Have fun with your new yard!
These are some great tips. I will pass them on to my husband, since he does all the yard work at our house.
A fabulous post on lawn care. Caring for your lawn will give you years of pleasure! You are absolutely right about grass being cooler than hard surfaces.
This post has me excited to move into my new home & do the lawn! Awesome details! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Congrats on the new home and may you have many years of enjoyment with your new lawn!
our yard used to be a mess until we removed all the grass and landscaped it with the fountain and mulch. But lately we haven’t taken care of it and so we have weeds growing now. But I don’t think I’ll ever go back to having grass . I live in a state that has been in severe drought for years.
It’s definitely a never-ending battle…..it’s easier to work with nature instead of fighting against her. Maybe some ground cover that grows naturally there will help choke out the weeds and add another texture to your new landscape. Good luck!
Our yard is a flipping mess from the winter. I honestly don’t care how my lawn looks, but my husband takes care of it. He will be starting soon 🙂