Early Spring Maintenance Tips For a Healthy New Orleans Lawn

To get the perfect lawn, the homeowner needs to put some effort into cultivating healthy grass. To grow the best lawn that you can, you need the right equipment and you also need to know the different steps for care that need to be applied at different times of the year. Spring happens to be one of the most important seasons for lawn growth, and the steps that you take during this time of year can make a significant difference in the quality of your lawn.

Here is what we recommend:

Sharpen Mower Blades
A lot of homeowners do not realize the importance of keeping the blades on their mower sharp and many will unknowingly keep running their mower with blades that are too dull. The problem is that a mower with dull blades will still make the grass shorter, so the person doesn’t even identify the problem.

The problem is when the blades are not sharp enough, they rip the grass instead of making a clean cut and this can damage the health of the lawn. At the beginning of the season, make sure to get the blades on your mower sharpened to ensure a nice clean cut.

Buy New Gas
The old gas that has been sitting in your mower all winter may have accumulated moisture while the machine was stored away. This accumulation can damage the engine of the mower and cause performance problems. Empty the tank and buy fresh gas to protect the mower against damage. Additionally, you want to make sure to dispose of the gas properly.

Clean Up the Lawn
Over the fall and winter, a lot of debris can build up on the lawn. The accumulation of leaves and twigs that are left over from the cold season, can deprive the lawn of sunlight and inhibit the flow of water to the soil. Early spring is an important time of year for the grass to grow, so you want to get out the rake and make sure that the lawn is nice and clear.

Give Mower a Tune Up
Make sure that your mower is in good working order by giving it a yearly tune up. Change the oil, replace the air filter and put in a new spark plug. It doesn’t cost that much and it is a job that can be done relatively quickly. A mower that is well cared for will perform better and it will have a longer operating life.

Control Weeds
The early part of spring is also the most important time of year for weed control. Following the winter, the grass is at its weakest and this is when weeds can really take root. Applying a spray program in the beginning of spring will be critical to ensuring that your lawn is weed free. If you wait until it is too hot and too far into the summer, the weeds may have really taken root, and it will be much harder to get them under control without damaging the turf.

Test Soil
You can put all the work in the world into your lawn, but if you do not understand what is going on with the soil, it could all be for naught. Knowing the soil pH will tell you in what ways the soil might be lacking and it can help to inform your decisions regarding a fertilizer. Testing the pH of your soil is relatively simple and the knowledge that it provides can make a major difference in your lawn care strategy. The test kits are readily available at most hardware stores and lawn care centers and they don’t require any specialized knowledge or equipment to use.

Water as Needed
One of the biggest mistakes that many homeowners make at this time of year is to overwater the lawn. Overwatering can damage the root system and make the grass more prone to disease. Carefully manage your lawn’s water needs and make sure not to go overboard.

The steps that you take in the early spring set your lawn up for the rest of the growing season. A failure to plan accordingly and take the necessary steps, can seriously diminish the quality of the lawn. The lawn care experts at Fischer Environmental understand the importance of this season and we can help to build a custom plan that will get the most from your lawn. Click here for more information about our lawn care services.