Rake Leaves

Yes, everyone’s favorite lawn chore! Unfortunately, it is also one of the most important to get done before the grass really begins to grow. The dead leaves from the end of fall and the winter will shade the grass from receiving the crucial sunlight it needs to begin growing. Raking or blowing out the grass also assists in dethatching some of the grass that became matted down over the winter and this removes dead clippings that could have been left from the fall.

Just be careful not to rake when the grass is too soft or you risk damaging healthy grass and ruining your shoes!

Aerate Your Lawn

Aeration is one of the most effective ways to achieve a green and luscious lawn. Yet, very few people do it! Aerating your lawn allows the soil to breathe. When expanding roots and matted down clippings make it difficult for water and nutrients from fertilizers to permeate into the soil. Aeration loosens the soil at the top level allowing for the growth of new roots and better absorption of fertilizers and nutrients. The best thing to aerate is in early spring at the peak growing season.

Weed

Applying a pre-emergent herbicide is important to preventing crabgrass and other weeds that will choke out the healthy grass you want to grow. You want to apply a pre-emergent before the grass begins to grow because weeds will come earlier than grass will. Therefore by the time the grass begins to grow it is already impaired by the weeds and your lawn will not look as amazing as it could going into the spring.

Fertilize

Fertilizing gives your lawn the nutrients it needs to come strong and green. The important thing to remember with fertilizing is not to do it too early. You want to wait for about three weeks after the lawn has begun to grow. This is because if you apply to earlier the soil will not be ready to accept fertilizer and there will be runoff when it rains. It will also accelerate the growth of the blades of grass before the roots are ready to support the growth, causing the fertilizer to be less effective compared to if you applied it another week or two down the road.

Mow

Last but certainly not least is mowing. Begin mowing when the grass is green and you can see that it is growing steadily. The things to remember about mowing in the spring is one, not to start too early as ground still wet from thawing will be easily damaged by a mower.

And second, keep the grass slightly longer than you would during the regular season. The grass grows incredibly fast compared to the beginning of the season. If you mow too short it will expose the yellow roots and create a mess of clipping to be cleaned up.