Prepare Your Yard for Springtime With These Projects

Spring is just around the corner, and it is time to start thinking about your yard again. Landscaping each spring is important-after all, taking care of your yard improves your home’s value, eliminates the risk of pests, and keeps relationships between neighbors friendly.

The grass will turn green and grow quickly again as the weather gets warmer. The soil will loosen as the frost disappears. And your trees will be ready for some much-needed TLC. Are you ready for springtime landscaping?

Develop your landscaping strategy with our tips on tree care, flower bed and garden maintenance, and lawn care.

Tree Care

Your home’s trees provide shade in the summer and look beautiful during every season. Many homeowners don’t realize how fragile trees can be, but they need care if you want them to last for years.

The first thing you should do this spring is schedule your tree spraying service. A specialist can spray your trees with pet- and human-safe pesticides and nutrients that protect your tree from the elements. A tree spray keeps your trees insect free, kills fungus, and destroys tree diseases. It’s a good idea to get your trees sprayed at least once a year.

You should also mulch your trees each spring. When you mulch and fertilize the roots, you give your trees the oxygen and nutrients they need to quickly grow strong. Trees along the Wasatch Front need durable roots to withstand the strong winds that rush into the valley from the canyons. If you don’t know how to mulch and fertilize your home’s trees, hire a professional.

You may need to prune your trees as well. Springtime mountain storms tear branches easily, and top-heavy trees or ungainly, thick branches can topple and fall, destroying homes and endangering family members. After the winter snows have melted and the weather begins to warm, take a look at your tree and cut away any branches that pose a danger to your home.

Flower Bed and Garden Maintenance

Healthy, colorful flower beds are the perfect way to welcome in the warm weather. And you and your family love planting the garden so you can enjoy fresh fruits and veggies in the summer and autumn. But after months of snow, hard frost, and dry air, your flower beds and garden need a little care before you begin planting.

Nutrient-rich soil is weed-free, so one of the most important things you can do for your flower beds and garden is to spray and sterilize weeds. The company who sprays your trees can also spray your soil, killing weeds and preparing it for planting a few weeks later. Killing weeds will help your flowers and vegetables grow faster and healthier, but it also eliminates other pests, like insects and rodents.

You should also prepare the soil for planting in other ways. Prepare the flower beds and garden plot by removing winter mulch, working compost into the top layer of the soil, and oxidizing the soil by loosening the top layer with a hoe or rake.

Like your trees, the foliage you plant will need lots of nutrients. Organic matter-like compost, manure, or mulch-helps balance the air supply. While you’re preparing the soil, avoid stepping on the soil or using heavy equipment, as the weight compacts the soil and makes it more difficult for oxygen and light to reach the plants.

Lawn Care

Your lawn is one of the most important parts of your home’s exterior. In fact, many people in your neighborhood notice it first when they look at your home. Lawns tend to take care of themselves during the winter, but when spring arrives, you need to take charge.

Taking care of your home’s grass each spring is a necessary, but tricky, process. You’ll need to keep most of the work on your lawn light until the warm springtime air dries out the soil. Your first step should be to remove leaves, dirt, and debris from the grass so that it can dry out and begin to grow.

A little later in the season (around late April, if you live along the Wasatch Front), you should do the following:

• Plant to fill in bare spots.
• Fertilize the area (the type of fertilizer you use-and when you use it-will depend on the type of grass you have).
• Aerate and dethatch the lawn. Mow and water the grass.

You should also have your lawn sprayed with a pesticide. Insects, rodents, spiders, and even larger pests will take more interest in your home during the springtime thaw, so it’s important to have your lawn sprayed to discourage pests.

Preparing your yard for springtime can be a fun, worthwhile activity for the entire family. As you care for your trees, flower beds, garden, and lawn, you’ll ensure that they look nice and stay healthy throughout the next year.

Call your local pest control specialists to schedule your first spraying and weeding service to get started.