Winter is on its last legs and it’s time to start thinking about preparing your outdoor space for spring. Good property maintenance entails cleaning up your yard or outdoor space and making it more colourful and presentable to anyone who pays you a visit. Whether you own a residential or commercial property or both, first impressions are extremely important for guaranteeing return visits from other people. Your property should exude a welcoming feeling to make people feel comfortable and safe every time they pass by it. A thorough spring cleaning session once all of the snow, ice, and sleet have melted away is the perfect way to accomplish this. Keep reading to learn about a few useful lawn maintenance tips that’ll help your outdoor space stand out this spring and make it easier to manage your property once the warmer weather arrives.
Clean Out Your Garden
Think of your garden like your personal closet. Occasionally, you need to take the time to clean it out. Otherwise, it can get cluttered with useless items that either no longer fit you, have become outdated, or that simply got lost in the disorganised mess. The same principle can be applied to your garden. Once all of the snow and ice melt away at the end of winter, you need to clean out your garden by removing all weeds, dead plants, and other debris that may have accumulated during the winter months.
Check Your Irrigation System
The frigid temperatures and constant freeze-thaw cycles that occur during the winter months can do a number on your irrigation system, especially if it’s neglected and not properly maintained. If you turned off your irrigation system for the winter, then it might be a bad idea to turn it back on while the temperatures are still low because added water pressure can cause frozen pipes to burst or leak. Wait until the warmer weather has been in effect for at least a few weeks before turning your irrigation system back on. By that point, any frozen water in the pipes will have melted and the first time you turn it back on should be to clear out any debris that may have found their way into your pipes and settled there. Once your irrigation system is up and running, make sure to water your plants and your lawn sparingly and evenly.
Compost and Fertilize
Over the cold and dry winter months, your soil has lost most of its nutrients, not to mention the fact that its pH levels are completely out of whack. The weeks leading up to spring are the perfect time to fix this issue and you need to take care of it before you begin planting any new greenery or flowers. Depending on the types of plants you plan on incorporating in your garden, you need to create an appropriate compost mix that can provide the appropriate and necessary nutritional value to your soil.
Choosing the right fertilizer for your lawn or garden is also essential. In most cases, it’s probably best to apply a slow-releasing fertilizer that continuously releases nutrients into your soil over an extended period of time rather than having to re-fertilize your lawn every couple of weeks or so.
Aerate Your Soil
It’s typically recommended that you aerate your soil in the fall before the first snowfall happens, but sometimes you might notice soil compaction during the first few weeks of spring. This can occur as the result of your grass and soil being buried under heavy snow and other forms of precipitation for long periods of time. Before you can start planting, it’s important to aerate your soil as this will allow it to breathe and absorb essential nutrients much more effectively. It also helps create channels for your potential or future plants to spread their roots as freely as the need to and use an appropriate amount of space.
Mow Thoroughly and Regularly
Before you rev up your lawnmower, you need to make sure that it’s still in good working condition. Like a car that’s been sitting in your garage all winter long, your lawnmower will need a little tender love and care before it can automatically go back to work. You can either take it in to your local hardware store for a tune-up, hire a professional landscaper to do it for you, or watch an informative online tutorial on how to do it yourself.
Once your machine is up and running, it’s important to thoroughly mow your lawn on a regular basis to help prevent and control any overgrown patches of grass or undesirable weeds. This is a fundamental part of lawn care that can help ensure a long lasting, beautiful, and healthy green turf for the remainder of the spring and summer months.
FOREVER GREEN LAWN & LANDSCAPE INC. has been the go-to professional lawn and garden care maintenance company in the Toronto and the GTA for more than 20 years. Our experienced team of outdoor space managers, designers, and maintenance workers has beautified residential and commercial properties alike. We take great pride, care, and time when it comes to understanding the needs and visions of all of our clients. We also completely stand by the quality of the work we produce and the materials we use and are happy to answer and address all of your questions or concerns. Contact us today to get an evaluation of your property and a free quote for your upcoming outdoor project.
