After all of the recent April showers, homeowners are now looking forward to enjoying their May flowers. Your lawn should be showing plenty signs of life in the form of flowers, bushes, grass, and weeds by now. While you might think that breaking out the lawn mower is all it takes to care for the lawn, think again. When’s the last time you even fertilized the lawn? This is just one example of EZ-POUR®’s maintenance-related tips that you should follow before summer hits. If you take enough care, your grass really will be greener on the other side.
Begin with a Fresh Cut
It’s always good to give yourself a fresh start; it’s something your lawn will appreciate, too. That’s why you’ll want to begin caring for your lawn by mowing the grass shorter than normal. Don’t forget to install the bag this time – those clippings need to go. This is going to give you better access to the ground so that you can rake the soil and make room for new grass seed.
Start Overseeding
Ideally, overseeding – adding new grass seed to an existing lawn – is a task that you’d want to have completed the previous year towards the beginning of summer. It can, however, still be done in the spring. This process will rid the yard of bare spots and give you a richer lawn overall. Fuel up a ride-on spreader so that you can quickly and evenly distribute the grass seed. Eventually, your grass will start competing for space with weeds but we’ll cover that in a minute. Try to water the seeds daily to achieve the best results for growth.
Fertilize the Lawn Next
Six weeks down the road from planting new grass seed, it will be time to fertilize the lawn. While the soil in your yard is full of nutrients, there’s a lot of grass to feed. Luckily, there are fertilizer options made just for the lawn – with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. These elements work together to ensure fast growth, strong roots, and resistance against disease, along with the elements. It’s not a bad idea to look for fertilizers that also act as weed and insect control. If all you’re doing is filling up the tank again for that ride-on spreader, then that’s far less work for you to endure.
Exterminate the Weeds Simultaneously
Like we mentioned before, your yard is going to have a bit of competition to take on in the form of weeds. They’re a natural occurrence, as weed seeds spread when the wind blows, a bird flies over your land following a big meal, or the rain drains them from your gutters. You might feel somewhat overwhelmed after hearing that at first so get prepared. If you didn’t opt for the combination fertilizer, purchase a weed killer that works best for you. Don’t jump the gun if you’ve just planted new grass, though! Wait until the grass has grown tall enough to have been mowed a few times already.
Mow the Lawn Again, But Higher
Speaking of which, it’s important to raise the blades on your lawn mower after that initial fresh cut we recommended earlier. It’s best to leave them around three inches tall throughout the rest of spring and throughout summer. This way, the grass provides enough shade to keep any weeds you might have missed from growing. If you want to feed the soil in addition to using fertilizer, turn on the mulch setting and don’t bother picking up the clippings. Mulched grass also provides nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium for the lawn.
Trim the Edges Last
Last but not least, yard trimming is essential for homes where the grass and weeds cannot be reached by a mower. This includes around fences, along driveways, and so on. The best approach to take is utilizing a gas-powered trimmer with a dual cutting trimmer head, like Brush Dawg. Either drive over the trimmings with the lawn mower or rake them up.
EZ-POUR® Makes Lawn Care Easier
Still fueling up your engines with an old spout? It’s time for an upgrade in the form of an EZ-POUR® replacement fuel spout. This invention will significantly reduce the time you spend fueling and give you more daylight hours for mowing, trimming, and all kinds of yard work you’ll find yourself needing fuel for. Buy yours online at ezpourspout.com.