If you want to keep your lawn looking its best then it’s important to make sure you take care of it year-round. Our team here at Chris James Landscaping in New Jersey put together our tips to help you out. If you want to know more about lawn care and how to keep your grass in top-notch shape, then check out this guide we’ve put together.
What to do During the Spring
Spring is one of the most important and busy times for lawn care. After the danger of frost has passed, there are some things you can do to prepare your lawn for a summer of fun.
Do A Spring Clean Up
After the snow melts, you might discover quite a bit of leaves and other debris have made their way onto your lawn. You want to promptly remove anything covering your lawn to make sure oxygen can get to your grass. This is also the time to remove dead plant stocks and trim up your bushes.
Apply Fertilizer and Herbicide
After you’re done removing all the debris from your lawn, apply a good organic fertilizer. You’ll want to do this after the danger of frost passes. Usually, this is about mid-March.
Fertilizer provides the food your grass needs to grow and revive itself after a long winter. Make sure you don’t over-fertilize as this can burn your grass. You can follow the directions that come on the particular fertilizer you use.
What to do During the Summer
Now that your lawn is lush and revived, it’s important to continue lawn maintenance through the summer to keep it healthy. We can get so busy enjoying our lawns during the summer that we might forget to continue taking care of it.
Remove Brown Plant Stalks
This would be a good time to cut down the brown plant stalks from all the spring bulbs that have finished blooming and are now dying off. You can also trim flowers that have finished blooming and are now brown. For most annual flower types, this trimming will stimulate new flower blooms.
Remove Any Weeds
The warmth and sunshine of summer also brings about weeds. If you didn’t put down mulch in the spring then it’s not too late to do it now. Mulch also helps conserve water by reducing evaporation. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you stay on top of the weed population because they sap vital nutrients from your lawn and will quickly take over.
Keep an Eye Out for Destructive Bugs
Summer is also the time when destructive bugs such as grub worms start to feed on the grassroots. This will cause brown patches in your lawn or areas of wilted grass. You can check to see if you have them by pulling back your grass. If it lifts easily and you see white C-shaped grubs then give us a call so we can help rid your lawn of them.
Properly Maintain Your Lawn
Your lawn will need about 1 inch of water per week. Longer infrequent waterings are better for your lawn than more frequent but shorter waterings. Water early in the morning or late evening so that the heat of the day doesn’t quickly evaporate the water.
What to do During the Fall and Winter
As you prepare your home for the colder months, don’t forget to winterize your lawn. Here are some important steps you can take to help your lawn make it through the winter.
Do A Fall Clean Up
This is a great time to put away all the lawn chairs, pools, and other summer items. This will ensure you don’t get areas of dead grass. Also, remove any leaves that fall on your lawn as they can create pockets of excess moisture on your lawn which will lead to lawn diseases.
Apply Fertilizer
Fall is also a good time to fertilize your lawn and nourish it for winter. In fact, this is the most important time to apply fertilizer as the nutrients will help strengthen your grass to last all through the cold months. Your lawn will store these nutrients in its root system and as it heats up in the spring the roots will release these nutrients to feed your grass.
Spread Grass Seed
Fall is also a good time to spread grass seed over your lawn. Most grass seed varieties in New Jersey thrive in cooler weather so it’s best to spread seed after the heat of summer has passed. Make sure you do it with plenty of time before the cold sets in so the grass has time to take root.
Don’t Forget to Mow
It’s a good idea to mow your lawn shorter for the winter months so that pests don’t have a place to make homes. Longer grass will encourage these pests to burrow into your lawn and can cause damage to your yard.
Avoid Trampling Delicate Grass
Your grass will be more delicate after it goes dormant in the colder months. Even though the grass is hardy, it can be harder for it to bounce back to life with heavy foot traffic while it’s dormant. This will lead to worn down areas of grass come springtime.
We’re Always Happy to Help!
The team here at Chris James Landscaping is always happy to help you take care of your lawn. We provide spring and fall lawn maintenance as well as other landscaping services. If you need help with your lawn or garden in the New Jersey area then give us a call!