Spring is right around the corner and that means it’s time to start properly caring for our yards again. To ensure your landscape is in top-notch shape by summer, a spring cleanup is imperative!
Spring cleanups jump-start new growth, eliminate dead debris, and are a great starting point for the landscape care needed throughout the late spring and summer months.
At Concord Tree & Landscape, we know what your yard needs. Here are the steps we take in our Spring Cleanup Checklist:
Remove Debris
After a long fall and winter, it’s best to start a spring cleanup by removing debris. We make sure to clean up dead leaves, pinecones, dead grass, acorns, and more! At Concord Tree and Landscape we like to start with a new canvas for spring and summer native plantings and a spring cleanup allows us to do just that.
Prune Shrubs And Cut Back Perennials
The next step is to prune shrubs and cut back perennials. If any tree or shrub branches have been damaged throughout the winter from cold temperatures, snow, and/or wind, it’s best to prune back the plants to the live stems. This allows sunlight, air, and water to reach the center of each plant when spring is in full swing. Additionally, we make sure to prune perennials and ornamental grasses to create room for new growth!
Clean Up And Edge Garden Beds
When we approach cleanups with garden beds, cleaning up lingering dead leaves, and weeds that surround the garden beds is very important to us. This prevents any disease from forming and allows oxygen to get into the soil, making it ready to harvest lots of growth. This also plays a role in protecting the ecosystem when wildlife increases throughout spring and summer. Prepare your garden beds even more by edging around each to create a clean, crisp look that will make it easy when it’s time to plant flowers in late spring.
Prep The Lawn
As landscaping experts, we know that preparing lawns in the spring is vital for green and luscious grass come summer. After a snow-filled winter, make sure to check your lawn for thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead grass that traps water, fertilizer, and grassroots. Excessive thatch over a 1/2 inch thick which creates an environment where pests and diseases can easily grow. Thatch also interferes with lawn care practices if not taken care of.
A solution to this: dethatching! Dethatching can be done through deep lawn raking which will break up the dead grass and allow for nutrients to penetrate deep into the soil and activate new growth.
Another way we combat the effects of thatch and compacted soil is to aerate and fertilize the lawn. Aerating the lawn removes plugs of soil so more air, water, and nutrients can reach the grassroots. Fertilizing and seeding will also allow new growth to occur.