Common Lawncare Mistakes to Avoid This Spring

Spring is just around the corner. Before you know it, it’ll be time to plant beautiful flowers in your garden and whip out your allergy medications. Proper lawncare in the spring is especially important because it sets the tone for the health of your grass year-round. Lawn maintenance in the spring can help you avoid these common lawncare mistakes. 

Lawn Rolling

Rolling your lawn flattens or levels out uneven ground. It’s one of the most common lawncare mistakes people make in the spring because this is usually when the ground is softest and the most malleable. But it’s actually a bad landscaping practice that shouldn’t be done at all.

In an effort to even out the ground in your yard, lawn rolling also compacts the soil. Compacted soil loses its porousness which makes it impossible for moisture, oxygen, and nutrients to be absorbed. This can end up suffocating new and established blades of grass. 

Raking

You should avoid raking your lawn in the spring for the same reason you should avoid leveling it out. The ground is still fairly soft in the springtime. Raking it will uproot new and established grass blades and cause irreparable damage. It’s best to remove leftover debris from last fall with your bare hands if possible. Raking should be reserved for the fall season when the temperatures start to dip and the ground hardens.

Prematurely Fertilizing Your Lawn

Fertilizing is good for your lawn, but there’s a correct time and method of doing it that maximizes its benefits. Early spring isn’t it. Grass needs time to fully awaken from its state of dormancy in the winter. During the first few weeks of spring, your grass may not be ready to fully receive the nutrients provided by fertilizer. As a result, fertilizing too soon might actually facilitate weed growth instead. 

Depending on the climate in your region, it may be best to wait another couple of weeks or about a month before fertilizing your lawn.

Mowing with Dull Blades

Dull lawnmower blades pose a serious hazard to your grass. You can’t make a clean cut with dull mower blades. Your lawnmower has to work twice as hard at cutting the grass. Instead, it could end up pulling it out by the roots and severely damaging it. Make sure to carefully inspect every part of your lawnmower before taking it out of winter storage this spring. Remove the blades. Clean them thoroughly and sharpen them before your first mowing session. 

Killing Weeds and Growing New Grass at the Same Time

Applying weed killer at precisely the right time during the season is crucial. Do it too soon and you could risk killing your grass seeds and blades instead. Wait too long, and the weed killer could be ineffective. The best time to apply weed killer is when the temperatures start to warm up consistently in mid-spring. This allows for the ground to properly absorb herbicide and target weeds specifically. 

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