Spring is right around the corner! The official date of the first day of spring is March 20th. After the long winter months in northern Idaho, it might be time to freshen up your lawn!
Once the sun comes out, there is almost nothing better than having a lush lawn to relax on. Although it takes some effort, the outcome just might be worth it. Here is a checklist of tasks to consider when cleaning up your lawn.
Fresh Mulch
Mulch is made from a variety of organic materials, such as grass clippings, leaves, straw, kitchen scraps, bark, sawdust, cardboard, manure and more. Some people create their own mulch, but there are also many outlets that sell premade mulch.
There are many benefits to adding mulch to your lawn. Spreading mulch can keep weeds away, maintains the temperature and moisture of the soil, and add helpful microorganisms needed for a beautiful, green lawn.
Here is a guide to spreading mulch.
Raking
Giving your yard a good, brisk, rake removes dead leaves and grass as well breaking up the soil in preparation for new growth. Although be careful to not rake too much! Over raking can damage roots and prevent strong grass blades from growing.
Pruning
If your property has shrubbery or trees, you may want to prune them. Pruning is the process of removing dead, damaged, or otherwise unwanted parts of a plant to allow for new growth. Pruning trees can also help prevent damage to your property. For example, if a large tree near your house is weighed down with snow or breaks due to high wind speed, the entire tree or parts of it could end up falling on the house or vehicles or even someone walking down the street.
One tip for pruning is to target weak shoots and use a sharp pruning tool to make angled cuts on the plant.
For more information on the basics of pruning, click here.
Composting and Fertilizing
Composting is “the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants…” (NRDC).
Composting is a great way to rely less on chemical fertilizers, while still a great option for a fertilizer. Composting from home usually requires a composting pail (stainless steel and ceramic are popular options) that has a filter of some sort to reduce the odor.
You will want to compost organic materials that are high in carbon or nitrogen. Here are a few ideas of what you can compost:
- Wood chips
- Tea leaves
- Sawdust
- Newspaper
- Leaves
- Lawn weeds
- Grass clippings
- Fruit and vegetables scraps
- Flowers
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds
- Animal manure
To learn more about composting, click here.
Planting
Planting some fresh greenery in your yard is a wonderful way to add some curb appeal once the snow melts. The secret here is adding plants that will thrive in the spring rain and dry summer heat.
Some popular options to plant in Northern Idaho are:
- Bittercherry
- Chokecherry
- Juniper
- Currant
- Elderberry
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Alders
For more plant options, click here.
If you feel you may be lacking a green thumb, do not fear! Anyone can learn to cultivate a plant’s growth. It certainly takes time and patience, but once you decide what you would like to plant, be sure to do some research ahead of time!
Aerate
Aerating your lawn can be important to give your plant and grass roots much needed air as well as the ability to take in and absorb more water and sunshine. Compacted soil can deter new growth, so if you would like your lawn to look lush once the weather warms up, aerating might be just what you need to do!
The simplest way to aerate your lawn is to purchase an aerator. There are a few different types. Spike aerators, slicing aerators, and plug aerators. Click here to learn more about these tools and how to use them.
Pull Weeds
Taking the time to remove weeds from your yard, while sometimes a painstaking task, is well worth it! Not only does removing weeds contribute to the aesthetics of a healthy lawn, the removal of weeds is also beneficial to the ecosystem of your yard. Weeds are characterized by their ability to reduce crop quality, interfere with harvest, host diseases or insects, or produce chemical substances which can be toxic either to other plants, animals, or humans. Click here to learn more about what makes a plant, a weed.
Some common weeds found in Northern Idaho are:
- Annual bluegrass
- Annual bursage
- Bull thistle
- Brome
- Cheat grass
- Crab grass
- Dandelion
- Fiddleneck
To learn more about common weeds found in Idaho, click here.
When removing weeds, it is important to completely remove the roots from the soil to prevent regrowth. Although annoying to some, other homeowners find weed removal to be therapeutic! Who knows, you might just be one of those people.
Utilize the Lawn Mower
Of course, the easiest (arguably) tool in the toolbox is to break out your lawnmower and give your lawn a good trim. A thorough trim can encourage growth and help your yard look more uniform.
There are many ways to get the most out of your lawn once the snow melts. And if you do not yet have a yard, but you’d like to- contact Latah Realty today at 208-883-1525 or [email protected] to learn more about homes for sale in Latah County.
