Spring is almost here; your lawn has been resting through the colder months and will slowly be starting to increase in tissue growth. It’s an exciting time of year for those who love the warmer weather like me.
In this video, we take a look at what you can do to prepare your lawn for spring.
Cleaning up and raking away debris
Now is the time to clear away any leaves, branches and other debris that may have accumulated during winter. Almost like a spring clean of your home, you want to move any objects that have been stationary for a while and allow your lawn to breathe.
Get your mower ready
Chances are that like your lawn, your mower has been sitting dormant for a few months. Do yourself and your mower a favour and treat it to a little attention before pulling the starter cord repetitively ‘til you’re both out of puff.
A bit of basic maintenance can go a long way. Changing fuel, oil, and the sparkplug each spring can help keep your machine running smoothly.
Sharp blades are another important piece of mower maintenance. A new set of blades is best, or if you’re a dab-hand with the grinder, sharpening or changing your mower blades can do wonders for a clean cut.
If you baulk at the thought of home-mechanics then there are many mower shops around that will, for a small fee, have your mower tuned and ready to go. You can also visit the Lawn Solutions website for some extra tips and advice as well.
Removing weeds
Coming out of winter there can be a few weeds that may have been able to fight their way through your lawn.
Most weed types can be removed by hand or treated with broadleaf herbicides, preferably before going to seed. Other flat weeds and grasses can be mown over, with a healthy lawn able to choke out most types. In some cases, selective herbicides can be used if available and safe to use on your turf variety.
Oxafert pre-emergent herbicide is a great way to help prevent both broadleaf and annual grass weeds, stopping any new seedlings in their tracks.
Test your soil
Sometimes you may find your lawn is not performing very well or not responding to fertiliser. This could be to do with the soils pH, so testing your pH levels now will enable you to apply amendments through spring, so your spring fertiliser application is more effective. https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/shop/default/manutec-soil-ph-test-kit.html
Check for compaction
To see how your soil is holding up and whether compaction is a problem, grab a long screwdriver. Plunge it into the ground in a few places to see how far it will penetrate being mindful of any irrigation.
You should be able to easily push it in for up to 100mm without too much resistance. If not, it would serve your lawn well to look at aeration to remedy the problem.
One of the healthiest things you can do for a spring lawn is to aerate the soil. Aeration helps increase the amount of air, water and nutrients getting to the soil. This strengthens grass roots and help create a healthier lawn.
Having tested your soils pH and for compaction, you can now look at what lawn care activities you will need to undertake during spring and create a plan of action.
This plan may involve reducing thatch through dethatching, fixing levels or soil profile through topdressing or scheduling lawn product applications.
These product applications might include a combination of herbicides, fertilisers, wetting agents, and soil conditioners depending on the requirements of your lawn.
For more lawn care information and special insights into Lawn Solutions Australia, subscribe to our channel. Lawn Solutions Australia - Australia’s best and most experienced turf growers - Proud Suppliers of Sir Walter DNA Certified, Sir Grange & TifTuf 🌱 https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/
