Keeping your yard looking immaculate year-round can be a nearly impossible challenge. In winter months, the snow can help keep the place looking fresh and new, but what happens when it melts off to leave gray, dead plants and yellow grass? A good way to help your home stay looking nice is by preparing for the summer season with an intensive spring clean up.
Before you start putting seeds in the ground, you will need to take stock of your yard and get prepared for the upcoming summer season. For many homeowners this can be an exciting time, but for others, it is a dreaded chore. Regardless of how you feel about it, home cleanup is important and here are a few tips to help get your home ready for spring.
Clear Debris
The first step to getting your yard summer ready is to clear out all of the winter debris that has accumulated over the past few months. This means grabbing a leaf rake and raking up all the dead leaves, cleaning up fallen branches and sweeping off patios. You also may have dead plants in your flower and garden beds that you failed to remove the previous fall. Be sure to clear out those plants and send them to the compost before you start your spring planting.
Aerate
Every lawn needs to spend about 3 months dormant each year to keep it green and healthy for the rest of the year. So while that yellow, dead lawn may be unsightly in the winter months, it is just a good time for your grass to take a break before ramping up summer production.
One problem that presents itself to homeowners can be lawns that become overly dense and matted with roots. This can prevent oxygen getting down to the roots and helping the grass stay green. If you struggle with dead or yellow patches in your yard, poor oxygen intake could be your problem. Consider doing an aeration over the full lawn as spring arrives to keep it green all summer.
Add Soil
Flower and garden beds require a great deal of tender loving care to stay in top shape. After you have cleared out all of the old plant debris from the previous year, you may need to replenish the soil levels. Consider layering a hearty compost with light topsoil before placing a weed resistant bark over the top.
Take into account that many barks may contain toxins or treatments that are not suitable for vegetable growth, so avoid the bark mixture in your garden beds. Bark is perfectly safe for landscaped decorative beds though and can help keep your landscape weed-free throughout the summer months.
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