The rains are back and the inversion has left Salt Lake City for another year. Better get back in the yard! It’s time for spring yard cleanup and maintenance. During the winter, your lawn took a pounding. Between the dead grass, yard waste, and snow packing it down, your yard is suffering. Over the winter, snow packs down grass and leaves which suffocates your lawn in the spring. If nitrogen, fertilizer, oxygen, and water can’t reach the root system of your grass, your lawn is never going to get the nutrients it needs to survive the long, grueling summer. This spring, follow these cleanup tips for a healthy yard throughout the season.

Clear Debris

Give your lawn a breath of fresh air! Remove dead grass, dead leaves, and lawn debris with a rake to let nutrients reach the soil. If your lawn isn’t power raked, your lawn could be dry this summer and could even suffer from mold and other fungus growing under the caked layer of dead plants.

Lawn Aeration

Your lawn needs to be aerated twice a year—once in the spring and once in the fall. Aeration removes a plug of soil from your yard, which creates a one-way super highway for fertilizer, water, and other nutrients to dive deep into the soil. This drives your roots deeper into the soil, leaving you with a healthy, deep green lawn. If the roots of your grass reach deeper into the soil you won’t have to water your lawn as much to maintain that healthy color in the summer.

Sprinkler Maintenance

Proper sprinkler maintenance is more than just knowing how to turn your sprinkler system on in the spring. Spring is a great time to calibrate your sprinkler system so you save water in the heat. Each sprinkler head should be adjusted to maximize water distribution while minimizing spillage and sprinkler redundancy.

Fertilizing in the Spring

Your first fertilizing session of the season is the most important. Before the heat of summer sets in, be sure to fertilize your yard with an appropriate fertilizer for your grass type and climate. Starting the spring off with the right fertilizer ensures your lawn begins growing early in the season and can take full advantage of the spring rain.

Mow at the Proper Height

In the spring, your lawn should be cut shorter than in the summer. This is because your grass isn’t going to dry out in the blazing sun in the spring. With shorter grass, water is easily absorbed into the ground, which stimulates a healthy root system. As the temperature rises through the year, raise the trim height on your mower to keep the soil cool and minimize evaporation.

Spring Yard Cleanup Professionals

Hey, you’re busy. Maintaining a yard, especially in the spring, requires a certain level of dedication. This spring, consider hiring a lawn care professional to perform all these spring cleanup tips and more. At Pitt Landscape, we offer a one-time spring yard cleanup services as well as recurring lawn care service so you can enjoy all the benefits of your yard without spending every weekend in raking up dead grass. Lawn care professionals are also going to be able to recommend the proper fertilizers and watering schedule for your lawn, soil, and climate. Call Pitt Landscape today and schedule your spring yard cleanup today!