Spring is finally here and all across the country homeowners are taking to their home’s landscaping and gardening to refresh the look and feel of their property before the warm weather really begins to take hold. That said, early spring gardening work demands its own particular care and attention which anyone from the greenest thumb to the newest gardener in the neighborhood could use some help responding to. If you’re planning on performing any level of landscaping or gardening service on your own in the weeks to come, keep these simple but significant tips in mind to make sure that your home’s lawn and garden stay beautiful through the whole season ahead.
Rake Away the Old
For the vast majority of homeowners, the lawn and garden is damaged to a pretty large degree following a winter like the one we just had. In response one of the worst mistakes a homeowner can make is to begin work on soil which isn’t fully recovered. For just that reason your landscaping work for the year to come should begin first and foremost with a serious raking using a metal rake to loosen and remove all the damaged and disruptive grass, weeds, and even remains of flowers which, if left alone, would be more likely to absorb your newly applied nutrients and care without ever truly reviving from their winter damages. Raking allows your lawn and garden bed to be free from these damaging features before you ever lay new seed or nutrient mixes helping you to get the most out of your efforts.
Timing is Everything
All plants have an opportune to be planted, whether they’re growing fresh from seed or are being transplanted from a separate pot. While it’s not guaranteed that planting flowers, trees, or vegetables in their appropriate season will result in thriving growth, planting them at the inappropriate time almost certainly guarantees that there won’t be. In the early weeks of spring focus on flowers like pansies and poppies which are suited to the cooler weather of early spring. Additionally, vegetables including peas, lettuce, and onions, as well as pretty much all tree planting projects are suited to these early spring climates. As the temperature continues to warm these plants will both add life and color to your home’s landscape and when they begin to die will increase the amount of nutrition in the soil for the summer plants which follow.
Fertilizer, Compost, and Weeding
Throughout the winter months your property’s soil endured a significant amount of damage particularly from salt deposits and so many homeowners, smartly, begin their spring gardening work with a thorough round of fertilizing, perhaps even building their own compost heap to utilize. When these nutrients are properly applied to the soil, along with air and ample water a perfect home is made for the freshly blooming spring plants of your choosing but those same conditions are also perfect for the weeds which choke and kill those plants. In the first few days of spring weeds begin taking root awaiting this influx of nutrients and in many cases can develop so thoroughly in these early spring days that all landscaping and gardening work for the rest of the season is an uphill battle. For just that reason, preemptive measures to remove weeds before they take root are highly advisable.
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