Spring Into Action!
Spring is right around the corner. Although it’s still pretty chilly now, the snow is starting to melt. That means it’s the right time to start preparing your yard and garden for spring. There are always a few things you want to get ready before it starts warming up. Here are some things to get started on now.
1. Order your Seeds and Bulbs
It takes time for ordered seeds and bulbs to arrive, so get ahead and do it now. Plants that take time to grow need to be planted as soon as the conditions are right, so you’ll want to have your seeds ready. Order them now and you’ll be sure to get the maximum possible growing time to have your flowers up and growing during the best months.
2. Clean It Up
Hopefully, you did a good job keeping the leaves cleaned up in the fall. Whether you did or not, there will still be some leaves on your lawn. Some trees just manage to hold onto their leaves past the first snowfall. In addition to that, the snowplows may have pushed road debris onto your yard that will be bad for it. So, before you can get to planting and regrowing any patches of sod that died, or weakened over the winter, you need to get it cleaned up. As soon as you can see the leaves, rake them up and get rid of them. If there’s any pebbles, dirt, or salt from the roads, you need to use a rake and stiff-bristled broom to get it out. As soon as the snow melts along the roads, check your grass to see what debris needs cleaning.
3. Clear the Dead Brush
While you’re cleaning up the debris, check for dead plants and weeds, especially around flower gardens. You’ll want to pull them out to make room for new plants you’ll be planting. In the case of weeds, even if they look dead, they might have survived by going dormant. If you don’t remove them at the root, they could revive as soon as the weather warms up, giving them a leg-up when it comes to taking over your garden.
Clear the borders around the edge of your garden back to bare soil for best results. Any dead plant matter from flowers you pull up can be composted for your own use, or taken to a composting station. Do not attempt to compost weeds, though, as they might germinate their seeds into the mix. Instead, weeds should be burned.
4. Clear Out The Pests
The pests that are most harmful to your yard and garden will still be hibernating. That makes now the best time to go looking for them. Pests will look for any place remotely warm, so look around places where leaves may have slipped past your notice. Check perennial crowns for slugs, snails, or aphid colonies. Turn up bare soil to search for pest larva. Destroy them wherever you find them. The more you get rid of before it warms up, the easier it will be to manage pests during the growing seasons.
5. Make Your Move
If you’re looking to move any deciduous shrubs, now’s the best time. They’re still dormant, so uprooting them will cause the least amount of damage. Make sure that you do it on a day when the soil is loose enough to be tilled up. Wait for days when the wind is still so that it doesn’t dry out the roots. Make sure you get as much of the shrub’s root as possible so it can quickly establish itself in its new location.
Now Is The Time
These last few weeks of winter are the best time to get started on prepping your yard for spring. The weather is still cold enough that plants are dormant, so they’ll take the least damage from being moved. Pests are still hibernating, so you have a better chance of getting more of them. Preparing some things ahead of time makes sure that when the time comes to get everything going for real, you don’t have to wait on anything.
Here at Cache Valley Lawn King, yards and gardens are our specialty. If you need any help getting your lawn ready for spring, we’re the best people for the job. Get in touch with us today and schedule an appointment. You’ll be glad of the help. We’ll get your lawn ready to look its best for spring, and get it healthy enough to survive the hot summer months. With our help, you’ll have the best lawn and garden in the area!