Mequon Landscaping Top Must-Do’s For Spring Lawns

It’s time to think about getting your lawn back into shape for the upcoming summer. Garden-Scapes Landscaping in Mequon offers a few tips to get you started on a great-looking summer lawn

 

Clear Out The Dead Leaves and Broken Branches

It’s always a good idea to start by cleaning up the lawn. If your yard is like most, there are probably a few areas where fall leaves accumulated late in the season and ended up buried under snow all winter. Along with these now moldering leaves, you probably have broken tree branches all over your yard, too. A good clean-up will not only help your grass “breathe,” it will also help avoid damage to your mower.

If you have a big yard and just aren’t up to spending the day raking, Garden-Scapes can help. Our Mequon and Milwaukee landscaping crews will rake up all the dead leaves, broken branches and assorted old newspaper inserts, paper cups and random debris that made their way into your yard and haul them away for you. We also provide cleanups and lawn maintenance services for commercial properties throughout Mequon and Milwaukee, so no job is too big.

Apply herbicide

Beginning in March, apply pre-emergent herbicide before weeds have time to germinate.

How pre-emergent herbicide works: Pre-emergent herbicide creates a chemical barrier on the soil’s surface that prevents weed seeds from growing. It’s different from post-emergent herbicide, which kills weeds only after they’ve been established, not before.

Starting in May, apply a post-emergent herbicide to established lawns and actively growing weeds. Do not use herbicides on newly seeded areas.

How post-emergent herbicide works: Post-emergent herbicide combines a mixture of chemicals and works by traveling down the plant stalk and entering the root system of existing weeds. One thing you will want to be mindful of when selecting a post-emergent herbicide is whether it is selective or non-selective. Although non-selective herbicide is more powerful, it may kill grass and other blooms around it. A selective herbicide is targeted and will kill specific types of weeds.

What are some common weeds found in Mequon lawns:

• Dandelion
• Crabgrass
• Chickweed
• Mayweed
• Cheatgrass

Reseed bare spots

Even the most well-kept lawns will have some bare, brown, dead spots that were dormant from over the winter. This can be a relatively easy fix though – get some seed and a spreader and apply seed to those bare spots to start renewing your lawn for the summer.  You’ll need: Seed of your choice, seed spreader

Dethatch your lawn

Dethatching your lawn helps to break down the old grass, leaves and other organic matter that has built up over time. It opens it up so that water, nutrients and even sunlight can better get down to help the grass grow.  To minimize trauma to your lawn, you should wait until all the snow has melted and the ground has dried. If you have a large yard, dethatching by hand with a thatching rake could take you most of a weekend and leave you with some pretty intense blisters on your hands

What you’ll need: Dethatcher attachment for lawn mowers

Aerate your lawn

Similar to dethatching, aerating your lawn helps allow the grass to grow better. If the soil is so compacted from the winter that the grass can’t grow, it may be time to aerate the lawn. This allows everything from new seed to fertilizer to get down to the soil and get to work.  For everyone who isn’t able to transport an aerator to their home, Garden-Scapes can help.  Our Milwaukee area landscapers will get the job done quickly and thoroughly.

 

Apply a slow-release fertilizer

The final step you’ll want to take is to apply a slow-release fertilizer. With a slow-release fertilizer, the benefits of that application will last longer. These coated fertilizers release a little more of the nutrients in the pellets each irrigation cycle. You won’t have to do as many applications with a slow-release fertilizer, because it keeps working.

Applying unnecessary nutrients to your lawn can cause disease issues and nutrient runoff, which is harmful to the environment and a waste of money. For grass growing in the sun, apply the label rate of fertilizer you have chosen. For grass growing in the shade, apply half the label rate.

Curious about when to fertilize your lawn? Follow the recommended “holiday schedule.” The University of Wisconsin-Madison recommends using a controlled-release or slow-release formula around three main holidays — Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. If you are the type to remove grass clippings from your lawn, apply a fourth application of controlled-release fertilizer in October.

First application	Late May (Memorial Day)
Second application	Early July (Independence Day)
Third application	Early September (Labor Day)
Fourth application (if needed)	October