Take care of your lawn in spring- or you might regret it in the summer

A guide to lush looking lawn – 4 mins reading

First glimpse of spring after a long and cold winter, feeling the sun strike against the face along with a mild breeze, is known to be sacred amongst most gardeners. The moment for them to maintain their lawn has finally arrived.

However, while you’re eagerly waiting for spring to arrive, the time can be used wisely with a checkup of your tools, perhaps more specifically the blades of your lawn mower. Since sharp blades reduce the vulnerability of the grass, a recommendation is to replace them no less than twice a year. When was the last time you replaced the blades of your current mower? The right time to start with your lawn care varies from year to year. Key factors are that the temperatures have gun up to about 8 degrees and that there is no ground frost anymore. Usually this is the case in late February or March, depending on the temperatures in the country.

As a first step carefully clear the lawn with a lawn rake removing dead grass, leaves and smaller branches. Since the property is mainly covered with snow and damp leaves during winter, make sure you let the lawn dry properly after removing the slack material before continuing with further lawn care. The cleaning up routine should mainly help you to get an overview about the lawns’ condition after the winter. As soon as the lawn starts to wake up from the winter and is changing its color to a lush green, it is time for the first fertilization of the year. Make sure to give the lawn at least one week of rest afterwards for it to have time to utilize the nutrients. 

Finally, it’s time to mow the lawn. When mowing the lawn for the first time after the winter, make sure that you don’t cut it too short. Thus, when the lawn has reached a length of about 6-7 cm, you can shorten it to up to 1/3. If you cut off too much at once it causes a lot of stress to the lawn, disturbing its natural growing process. In general, it can be said that the lawn must be cut about 1-2 times during the first weeks of the season, as the lawn will grow much faster compared to the rest of the year.

Once the lawn has been through a few cutting cycles, you can start using a dethatcher. A dethatcher is a tool that frees the lawn from grass cuttings or moss. It is especially helpful after the winter months, as moss usually grows much quicker during that time. Although some people prefer not to use a dethatcher at all, it can help to make the soil and the lawn healthier, weed free and longer lasting. After you separated the thatch from the lawn make sure you get rid of the leftovers thus not leaving them on the lawn. Be aware that the entire process of dethatching is highly stressful for the lawn and can, if not carefully done, cause a lot of damage. Therefore, give the lawn some recovery time and it will grow back even stronger than before. If you don’t want to use a dethatcher and your lawn doesn’t show any major signs of moss, dethatching your lawn with a lawn rake is another possibility. This because the user is in total control of the pressure, reducing the amount of stress for the lawn. However, the second alternative might not be as effective. 

In case your lawn looks tired after the dethatching procedure or has many blank patches, you might want to add some additional grass seeds. Ideally you mix some seeds with a fertilizer and apply it to the affected areas. Subsequently, cover it with a mix of compost and sharp sand, to provide an insulating layer between the seed and the soil. The following 3-4 weeks should be used as a recovery time for the lawn. Make sure the lawn is watered regularly and do not mow the lawn before it has reached a height of about 8 cm. Finally remember to clean your tools after each use. This will not only help to improve the results next time you use the them but will also make sure that they last longer.

Checklist

• Wait until the lawn has woken up from the winter and that there is no ground frost anymore.
• Start cleaning up your grass to get an overview about the status
• Start with a fertilizer before you cut the grass for the first time
• If needed use a dethatcher to free the grass from moss
• Add more seeds to the lawn if needed and mow regularly.