Spring is all about getting outdoors, stretching those muscles and getting ready for fun in the summer sun – and that means getting your yard ready for everything from entertaining friends and family to catching a nap on lazy summer afternoons. For many homeowners, their yard is a source of pride and joy, and keeping it in peak condition is essential. Here are some tips to bring out the best in your outdoor spaces.
Lawn Care Tips for Spring
- Aerating your lawn: A healthy, lush lawn is a summer must-have – and it starts with healthy roots. Aerating your lawn before the heat sets in allows water, oxygen and nutrients to properly penetrate the ground and access root systems, boosting the growth process. This should be done every year, especially in high-traffic spots where the soil gets tramped down.
- Get rid of detritus: Debris like decaying leaves, grass and plant matter can easily build up over the winter and block sunlight and water from your grass. You’ll have less of this build-up if you rake regularly through the autumn, but it’s always a good idea to repeat the process in the spring.
- Use a high-quality fertilizer: If you want your grass to grow thick and quickly, nothing beats fertilizer. It’s important to choose a fertilizer that is right for the type of grass in your lawn and is high in nitrogen, and to spread this over your grass as soon as new spring growth starts to show. Apply it as often as recommended through the spring, but scale down as summer temperatures arrive as this heat can cause damage to your grass.
- Water regularly: As a general rule, grass needs 1 inch of irrigation per week especially during the spring growth season. It’s better to do one deep irrigation rather than smaller doses, as this is more likely to reach the roots. The best times to water your garden are in the early morning or late evening to guarantee maximum absorption.
- Keep on mowing: Cutting your lawn on a regular basis is important for creating that thick, even growth that all the best lawns have. Never cut more than one-third of the grass height as this can damage your lawn, and use a higher cutting height as the summer heat kicks in, as this helps preserve the moisture in the soil.
Stay On Top of Garden Pests
Garden pests love the warmth spring time, especially the tender new growth of your plants that it brings. When it comes to pests, early prevention is best, so keep a look out for curled or nibbled leaves on your plants.
- Aphids: Aphids love bedding plants, cape myrtle, hibiscus, oleander, roses and vegetables, and can be identified as tiny bugs on the underside of leaves often accompanied by a sticky residue. Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings will eat aphids for you, but you can also use insecticidal soaps.
- Caterpillars: These pests can munch their way through plants but many garden-lovers leave them be because of the beautiful butterflies they transform into. It’s best to ignore them on native trees and plants because the plant recovers easily, and other predatory insects can also help control the population. Row covers are a great way to keep caterpillars off your vegetable garden.
- Fire ants: These pests are often found in sunny areas of the garden like lawns, and their aggressive nature and painful stings make them a pest you want to be rid of. Non-chemical ways of removing them include pouring boiling water on mounts and introducing nematodes. You can also use fire ant baits as these are more likely to be species specific and not harm useful insects. It’s best to co-ordinate eradication with your neighbors so that the ants don’t simply migrate from yard to yard.
- Mosquitos: Although these pests are around throughout the year, warmer months are especially bad for infestations. The best thing to do is to take action in the spring by eliminating breeding sites (using bacterial larvicide in rain barrels, eliminating standing water and repairing water leaks), and spraying small infestation sites with insecticidal soaps.
Create Colorful Flowerbeds
Flowers thrive in our warm and sunny climate, and make a wonderful addition to any yard. Here’s how to get your flowerbeds in great shape for the growing season.
- Prepare the soil: This is the foundation for good flowers, so don’t be tempted to skip this step. Dig over your flower beds and add plenty of compost before you plant. If you have high clay content in your soil, you can also buy better quality soil and dig that in as well to balance out the clay.
- Good drainage: Texas rain can really hammer down, so it’s important that your flower beds can take it, as plants don’t grow well in waterlogged soil. Raised beds are a great solution if you struggle with this issue. It’s also a good idea to ensure that downpipes are directed away from flowerbeds, and that French drains are in place in areas that suffer from too much water.
- Choose varieties for your sunlight: Some flowerbeds get morning or evening sun, others get baked during the heat of the day, and there are even a few that get little or no sun at all. The good news is that there are plants that thrive in all levels of sunlight, so always check with your garden center to get the right varieties for your flowerbed.
A Spring Garden is a Celebration
Gardens are a wonderful asset to any home and all the work they involve is certainly worth it when you see the results. Happy gardening!