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Early Spring Lawn Maintenance: 3 Simple Tasks to Start the Season
Early Spring Lawn Maintenance: 3 Simple Tasks to Start the Season
Early Spring Lawn Maintenance
March 20 was the first day of spring, and for those of us that live in northern Illinois, we were greeted with about an inch of snow. It should all melt by this afternoon, but it was a reminder that we can still get snow in early spring through March and even into April.
If you are like me, you are itching to get outside and do something in the fresh air. Being cooped up inside the house since last December is beginning to wear on my nerves. I did not have a chance last week to complete one lawn maintenance project that I have heard being repeated by many of my co-workers—cleaning up after their dogs.
Clean Up After Your Dog
Cleaning up after your dog is an important task, not only for your health, but for the health of your dog. Fecal matter can harbor many pathogens that can transmit diseases. If their feces stays on the ground too long, it can result in damage to your lawn or it can work as a fertilizer and your lawn can end up with bright green dots scattered across it. Dog waste can also contribute to phosphorus pollution as it will decompose with the normal spring rains and find its way into lakes, rivers and streams.
Pick Up Branches, Especially If You Have Squirrels
Another lawn maintenance project you can complete in early spring is picking up all the branches that fell during the winter. In my own situation, squirrels seem to relish chomping off the tips of the branches on my big silver maple. I am not sure why they do it, but it happens every year. One of the theories I heard that I agree with is squirrels are neurotic and just like to do quirky things. Other theories have to do with using the branches as nesting materials to feeding on the sugars that can be found in the cambium layer. Regardless of the reason, they can make a big mess, so I clean up the branches every spring.
Apply a Spring Fertilizer
It is still too wet to do much work on the lawn, but it is a good idea to apply a spring fertilizer as long as the soil is not too soft. It has been a long winter, and the grass will start coming out of its long winter nap. It will quickly utilize the fertilizer as it begins growing again. It is impossible to predict how quickly it will warm up this year, but I can guarantee that it will do so.
Cleaning up after your dog, picking up branches and fertilizing your lawn are three tasks you can complete to get your lawn maintenance started in the spring. As it warms up and dries out, then you can start some light raking or planting bed preparation. Another year of mowing your lawn will start soon, so make sure your mower is clean and tuned-up. Be sure to sharpen that mower blade as well.