Benefits of Lawn Spring Cleanup
Why You Should Have a Property Spring Cleanup
Spring is just around the corner and the daffodils are almost ready to poke their way through the ground. Unfortunately, just beneath the surface is a mess that’s been hiding in your yard since the snow began to fly during the winter months.
Maybe you unkempt property is due to your failing to getting it cleaned up properly last fall, forgoing the last fall mowing or leaving the leaves ended on the ground where they fell. All of that debris has now accumulated on your lawn leaving it suffocating for the upcoming spring. Regardless what shape your property is in; it’s time to get motivated and ready for a good spring cleanup.
Here are a few must do items for a successful spring cleanup to rejuvenate your lawn.
Power Raking/ Detaching:
It’s important to detach (power rake) your lawn in the spring because after the winter you may find that your lawn is matted with dead grass, plant material and knotted patches. This ground covering occurs when the grass blades are 
stuck together due to snow mold and must be removed to expose the soil to warmth and sunlight.
By raking up the winter remains, you provide your lawn with the ability to become full, green, thick and healthy. Power raking affords your lawn the opportunity to breathe in the new spring rain and nutrients to produce a more rapid start to an attractive lawn. Raking up the leftover leaves and matted patches allows air to circulate down to the roots, thereby allowing new grass to get off to a good start and grow with vitality.
Pruning:
Excessive amounts of snow and ice can cause injury to trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, with Alberta winters and the amount of storms we get, little can be done to prevent damage. Often, however, with proper care, damaged trees and shrubs can be restored.
Light pruning and removal of dead branches at the start of the spring season is a good time to prune with the coldest part of the winter behind us. By removing dead branches and pruning early, you can get a vigorous bust of new growth in spring
For an orderly and attractive landscape, shrubs and bushes should be pruned or trimmed in the early months of April and May. Whether it’s Juniper, Euonymus, Forsythia or any number of other shrubs, they need to be trimmed for good health and avoid massive overgrowth.
Aerate the Lawn:
Technically speaking, aeration is the naturally occurring process of air exchange between the soil and its surrounding atmosphere. Practically speaking, aerating your lawn is performed by using special equipment to actually punch holes in your turf that creates air pockets to improve the health of soil and roots. Core aeration helps to get the essential nutrients and water deep down into the soil, pushes out weeds and makes the lawn more lush and healthy.
The benefits to core aeration are:
- Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere.
- Enhanced soil water uptake.
- Improved fertilizer uptake and use.
- Reduced water runoff and puddling.
- Improved turf grass rooting.
- Reduced soil compaction.
- Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance.
- Improved resiliency and cushioning.
- Enhanced thatch breakdown.
Clean Out the Gardens:
Even though you may have left plants in the garden in the fall, now is the time your gardens need to be cleaned out, cleared up and removed from the property. An effective method is to cut down any of the dead foliage left behind, destroy any bugs, larvae and other pests you find and turn the soil slightly over to avoid too much disturbance of nutrients in the upper layers of soil. By clearing all of the leftover debris from the previous winter season, you get your gardens set up for a more robust spring season for existing or new planting for the summer season.
Get Started!
With the rebirth of spring and hopes of new beginnings come many outdoor spring chores that will help you to create the landscape you want. Contact the experts at White ‘N Green today for a free estimate for your lawn’s spring cleanup.
