Nothing feels better than stepping onto a freshly mowed and beautiful lawn. In Colorado Springs, achieving that soft and perfected yard can be a struggle if you don’t do your due diligence throughout the year to ensure it’s lasting beauty. In this article, we want to share our favorite tips and tricks on how to maintain your yard year-round. We hope this advice will ultimately save you time and money on lawn care.
Prepping For Your Lawn Care
Before you get going on getting your lawn ready for the spring and summer, we suggest doing the following:
- Sharpen Your Mower Blades
If you want clean cuts and a hassle-free mowing experience all summer, this is something that should be at the top of your list. Dull mower blades will rip and tear your grass which will leave rough, jagged edges. These edges will begin to discolor and could invite diseases into your lawn that can be a pain to get rid of.
- Get a Mower Tune Up
Replacing inexpensive parts like a spark plug or air filter will ensure that your mower is in tip top shape. We recommend doing this every year to save on bigger maintenance costs that could arise because of old parts. It’s a simple job to change these out, and you will notice your mower running smoother once it’s done.
- Put Fresh Gas in Your Mower
When you use a mower that has gas left in it throughout the winter, your putting your small engine at risk. Gas that has been sitting for a long time can gather moisture that causes some serious issues. This is especially true for fuel containing ethanol. We recommend using regular grades of gasoline in your mowers. If you need to dump old gasoline, as your city or county for local disposal sites that take old fuel. Don’t dump fuel just anywhere!
SPRING
Spring is one of the most crucial times of year to get to work on your lawn. In Colorado Springs, your grass is probably starting to show some growth in early spring, so it’s important to be ready for that first cut with the recommendations outlined above. Remember, you never want to cut your lawn when the grass is wet. Always cut a dry lawn. This will prevent lawn diseases and a clogged mower.
Fertilizing
We recommend fertilizing every six weeks. Start in March for the first application to get things started, and apply pre-emergent weed control at the same time. Fertilize every six weeks after that, ending in October with the last fall application. The fall application is important because cool weather grasses go dormant over the winter months and store energy in their roots for use in the spring.
For the best results, closely follow the application directions on the product you select for this process. You should plan to spend about $50 to $75 per application for an average 1/4-acre lot.
Aeration
In Colorado, aerating is very important! What is it? The process of aerating punches small holes in your lawn so water, fertilizers, and oxygen reach grass roots. Aeration is a beneficial way to keep your lawn healthy. It helps control thatch, improves the soil structure, helps create growth pockets for new roots, and opens the way for water and fertilizer to reach the new root zone of your lawn. It is always best to pick a day to aerate when the soil is damp, but not soaked, so the aeration machine can work efficiently.
Pre-emergent Herbicides
Springtime is the best time to treat your lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide. Using a pre-emergent herbicide is the most effective way to control weeds in your lawn. Have no worries, these types of herbicides pose no danger to your desirable plants. They simply kill the weeds in your lawn permanently which leads to less manual labor on your part to keep your lawn weed-free.
Pre-emergent herbicides work by soaking into the mulch/soil when properly watered. They create an invisible barrier in the soil which stops weeds from germinating. Another benefit is that they also kill newly germinated seeds that have not grown into an actual weed yet.
SUMMER
Here is a good mantra to guide you through the heart of grass-mowing season: The taller the grass, the
deeper the roots, the fewer the weeds, and the more moisture the soil holds between watering. With
that in mind, here’s how to ensure a healthy, green lawn:
- Set your mower blade height to 3 inches.
- Deep and infrequent watering is better for lawns than frequent sprinkles, which promote shallow root growth. In general, lawns need about 1 inch of water per week.
Lawns that receive less than that will likely go dormant. The grass in a dormant lawn is still alive and should still receive at least 1 inch of water per month. Your grass will green up again when the weather brings regular rains.
Here are some other useful summertime lawn maintenance tips:
- To check sprinkler output, scatter some pie tins around the yard to see how much water collects in a specific amount of time. Having a rain gauge will also help you keep track of how much water the lawn receives naturally.
- It is our recommendation to clean underneath your mower to prevent spreading lawn diseases once a month.
- Although it’s OK to leave grass clippings on the lawn where they can decompose and nourish the soil, remove large clumps. It is also important to regularly rake up any leaves, twigs, and debris so your lawn my breathe throughout the summer.
EARLY FALL/FALL
Fall is the best time of year to patch any bare sports. Cooler temperatures help in this process so take advantage! To ensure a good patch, follow these steps:
- Remove any dead grass.
- Use a garden trowel to break up the soil.
- Add about an inch of compost and work it into the soil.
- Add grass seed that is designed for shade, or sun, depending on the patch location. Spread the seed as evenly as you can across the bare patch.
- Use a hand rake to work the seed into the soil to about an inch deep.
- Water the patch several times a day until the new grass becomes at least an inch tall.
Throughout the rest of the fall, the most important maintenance for your lawn is to keep it free of leaves and other debris. Feel free to compost your leaves and twigs for your lawn, but always remove any big clumps that can cause your grass to die. Here in Colorado, we recommend giving your lawn another round of fertilizer in the fall. Your grass will store nutrients in its roots as it goes dormant over the winter months. This will give you a nice jump start in the spring when the ground begins to heat up again.
Maintaining your lawn throughout the year can seem like a daunting task to some. That’s where The Lawnsmith can step in to eliminate the work for you and your family. It’s never too late to give Keith a call at (719) 499-8873 to get your lawn on the right track! We can help you keep your yard looking great year-round with our Colorado Springs residential lawn care services.
