How to Get Rid of Bagworms on Your Trees and Shrubs in Virginia. Spring maintenance for lawn
How to Get Rid of Bagworms on Your Trees and Shrubs in Virginia
As your lawn comes out of winter dormancy and begins to green up (and grow) quickly, you might be wondering what spring lawn care needs will arise. The steps that you take for your lawn now will help set it up for success throughout the growing season. It’s important that you’re taking care of important lawn care needs.
We’ve rounded up this spring lawn care checklist so that you can ensure all of your bases are covered.Spring Lawn Maintenance Checklist
There’s a lot involved in producing and maintaining a lush lawn. Here are some of the most important tasks that you want to make sure are covered.
Springtime Weed Prevention
Crabgrass is easily one of the most hated weeds we face here in Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA. It’s an aggressive spreader that can quickly take over a lawn if not properly addressed. Fortunately, you can actually prevent a large majority of crabgrass from even growing with pre-emergent products.
Crabgrass preventer is a weed prevention product that works by forming a barrier near the surface of the lawn which will intercept germinating crabgrass seeds before they have the chance to grow. This will prevent the majority of crabgrass from growing in the first place assuming it was applied properly.
It’s important to know that there is an application window that must be met. Obviously, this product must be applied prior to germination. That’s why it’s important to make sure that weed prevention is high on your spring lawn care checklist.
Spring Weed Control
Of course, not all weeds can be prevented, and even with pre-emergent products, there will be some breakthroughs. That’s why it’s important that your spring lawn care checklist also includes a plan of action against actively growing weeds.
Here in Northern Virginia, we deal with quite a few common weeds. It’s important to know that different lawn weeds often require different methods of treatment.
For instance, while some weeds may be effectively controlled by one or two applications of a professional weed control product, others may require repeated treatments. Still, other weeds may not be controlled well by any product and may require a different solution altogether.
This is why your weed control plan needs to include a wide variety of weed control products and a plan of attack.
Lawn Fertilization
Lawn fertilizer helps to feed your grass plants with vital nutrients that are needed for the grass to grow and thrive. The key nutrients that a lawn needs are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Each of these nutrients has different benefits to help the lawn.
Lawn fertilization is particularly important in the spring as these nutrients are needed to help your lawn green up and grow thick and healthy.
In fact, a lawn that is rich in nutrients will eventually also grow fewer weeds and begin to resist environmental problems.
In order to give your lawn the best possible start in the spring, make sure that you include fertilization on your spring lawn maintenance checklist.
Proper Mowing
Mowing is another essential part of spring lawn care in Northern Virginia. As your lawn begins to actively grow again, it will be time to mow.
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Lawn mowing is one of those services that seems about as cut-and-dry as they come. However, there’s a lot more to it than homeowners tend to realize, and underestimating the importance of mowing can lead to problems.
Everything from the mowing height to the frequency of your mowing can have an impact on how your lawn performs. It’s important not to cut your grass shorter than 3 to 3.5 inches, to mow regularly, and to mow with sharp blades.
There have been times when we’ve been asked by a client why their neighbor’s lawn looks better than theirs when they’re on the same program. Many times the answer comes down to mowing habits. It has way more of an impact than most people ever realize.
Proper Watering
As you gear up for spring, you also want to make sure that a healthy watering schedule is part of your spring lawn care checklist.
Proper watering is another key to your lawn’s success.
Established lawns require around one to two inches of consistent water per week. Oftentimes, in the spring, Mother Nature will supply that. But if it’s not raining all week, you may need to step up your sprinkler watering game or have an irrigation system installed to make sure your lawn’s watering needs are met.
When you do water, try to emulate nature by providing a deep, soaking rain that gets deep into the soil so that it reaches the root zone of your turf. The best time of day to water is in the early morning because you provide ample time for the water to percolate down to the root zone where it’s needed without being lost to evaporation.
This article has a lot of tips on how to water if you are looking for more advice.
Preventing Problems
Spring lawn care in Northern Virginia should also include problem prevention such as addressing common disease and insect concerns. You might be taking all the right steps on this spring lawn care checklist and still end up dealing with a pest or disease problem that harms your lawn.
Fortunately, if you are working with a lawn care professional, they will be keeping an eye on your property and addressing problems that do arise.
In addition, there are some preventative steps that you can take to avoid dealing with a problem. Lawn grub control is recommended to help ensure your lawn is not decimated by these pests. Grubs work quickly (and beneath the surface of your lawn) so they can go unnoticed but cause a lot of harm.
Hire Lawn Care Services in Alexandria, Arlington, Springfield, VA
Finally, if you aren’t already working with a lawn care professional, you might want to make hiring a lawn care pro part of your spring lawn care checklist.
The truth is, lawn care can be complex and you probably don’t want to handle it all on your own. When you hire lawn care services in Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA you can hand over your lawn care woes to a pro who will know exactly what your lawn needs and when it needs it.
The key is to be selective about who you hire. There are a lot of companies offering lawn care services but if you’re serious about getting the best results (and a great overall experience), you need to choose wisely.
When you choose the best lawn care service for your needs, you’ll finally start seeing the lawn care results that you desire without a lot of hassles and headaches to deal with on your end. By performing some due diligence on the front end, you can feel confident that you’re making a wise choice and will be happy with your decision.
If you want to be able to feel confident your lawn is getting everything that it needs from a lawn care company in Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA, request your quote, choose from 3 lawn care program options, and relax as you get the royal treatment.
Krisjan Berzins. Owner, CEO
Since 1997, Krisjan has led the Kingstowne team with one simple philosophy, treat every customer like the “only” customer. His passionate pursuit of impeccable customer service has resulted in 24 successful years and a thriving company with over 85 employees, helping thousands of homeowners in the Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA area get what they want.- a worry-free property they can be proud of.
Lawn Care Spring Cleaning Checklist
It’s time for a spring clean, and that includes your lawn care, too! After a rough winter season, spring lawn care is more important than ever to bring your lawn back to fighting condition. From implementing fertilizer to preventing crabgrass, there are several steps to take with your lawn care spring maintenance to get your long prepped for the summer season ahead, and we are here to help!
To help you start the warmer season on the right foot, our team at Earth Development is sharing our must-know spring lawn maintenance checklist to prep your lawn!
When Should You Start Preparing the Lawn for Spring?
One of the most important factors in how to care for your lawn in spring is when to begin the preparations.
The spring lawn care steps should begin as soon as your lawn has mostly returned to green. While it’s tempting to begin as soon as temperatures begin warming up, doing so too soon can actually compact the soil and increase your chances of killing off new grass shoots before they’ve matured.
A key element to knowing when to prepare your lawn is the type of grass. This means understanding whether you have cool-season grasses or warm-season grasses on your lawn.
- Cool Season grass primarily grows at two different times: in the spring and in the fall. This type of grass can struggle in hot summer temperatures, so spring maintenance is essential to prepare it for the summer season.
- Warm Season grass typically starts growing after the final spring frost and hits its full growth around midsummer when the heat begins to really go up.
Knowing when your grass is growing is essential to preparations, as you don’t want to begin too soon as it can cause harm to your growing grass.
Spring Lawn Care Checklist
When navigating how to care for lawn in spring, there are some tried-and-true steps to take to ensure a healthier finish. From prepping your lawn mower to laying grass seed and lawn fertilizer, ensuring a healthy lawn takes expert spring lawn care. Here’s how it’s done.
Rake and Clean Up Your Yard
During winter, your yard has most likely accumulated debris. Your plants have most likely accumulated dead leaves and branches. You need to get all of this off your yard. Grab some gloves, and get rid of all the debris that has plagued your yard. There may be branches that have fallen off, dead grass, and maybe even some litter. You want your yard to be nice and clean for the rest of the spring cleaning tasks. The cleaner and healthier your yard is, the better your Spring will be. As a bonus, this debris makes great composting material, which is a wonderful (and green) way to put nutrients back into your soil.
After you’ve cleared all the big stuff from your yard, it’s time to rake. Raking will remove all the dead grass and leaves and anything you may have missed with your hands. Raking will also help control thatch build-up. Be sure you also clear out all the pine cones that may have accumulated in your yard. Raking will ensure your lawn is as healthy as can be for the Spring growing season.
Dethatch
Next up for spring lawn care is dethatching. Dethatching is the process of removing organic matter from between grass blades, which can build up and cause issues with everything from nutrients reaching the soil to grass growth and pest control. Our lawn dethatching service will remove the thick thatch layer, promoting a healthier lawn.
Aerate If Necessary
Lawn aeration is the process of creating tiny holes across your lawn’s soil, allowing it to receive. the necessary nutrients and hydration to promote a beautiful lawn. This is wonderful in cases where there is compacted soil, or your soil isn’t getting the nutrients it needs. With so many small holes across your soil, lawn aeration can be a tedious process, and one that our professional lawn aeration services can take off your plate. Especially after the winter season, aeration is an essential step in your spring lawn care checklist.
Mow High
Did you know there’s actually a proper amount of grass to cut with your lawn mower? To promote a healthy lawn, get your lawn mower ready to cut just 1/3 of the blade’s length with each mow and no more. Typically, a healthy green lawn should have blades of grass around 3 to 4 inches high. To accommodate this, adjust your mower to cut at the highest setting for your type of grass.
Keep in mind, short grass means shallow roots, which will come under more stress if there’s a drought. Deeper roots are essential to a resilient lawn, so keeping tall grass with deep grassroots will not only promote hydration but better compete with weeds, too.
Overseed
Spring is a great time to start planting any trees, perennial flowers, or shrubs you’ve been wanting in your yard. You can even start a new lawn or overseed your lawn to make up for bare spots in it. However, be careful if you have applied a pre-emergent for weed control. If you are doing weed control in the Spring, it is best to wait for Fall to overseed your lawn.
Kill Lawn Weeds
It’s best to always plan for weed control. It’s easier to try to prevent them before they emerge than to have to weed constantly. For your lawn, it’s best to use a pre-emergent, especially for crabgrass prevention. Crabgrass will start popping up when temperatures get into the 50s. That’s why it’s best to use your pre-emergent in early Spring. For pest control, it’s best to just stick to deer-resistant plants. To ward off ticks, you can spray your lawn in the late spring.
Fertilize
As part of your spring lawn care, be sure to use lawn fertilizers appropriately. When you are preparing your flower beds, old and new, it is a good idea to apply fertilizer. You want to nourish your soil back to health after the harsh winter. Consider using compost in the Spring as your fertilizer. Your plants will appreciate composting most in the Spring. If you’re using a chemical fertilizer instead, follow the directions and don’t use it in excess.
Keep in mind, you won’t necessarily need to use fertilizer on your lawn in the spring, especially if you did in the fall. To determine if you should fertilize, use a soil test kit to check the nutrient levels with a soil sample. in your lawn and see if you need some added help to promote beautiful grass.
In addition, when exploring fertilizer, ensure you know how to choose the best fertilizer for your lawn. Different fertilizers are best suited for various grass types, so be sure you choose the right one for your grass type.
Eliminate Grubs
Last on your spring lawn care checklist is eliminating grubs. Grubs can do a great deal of damage to your lawn, harming root growth, and grass health, and ultimately preventing a healthy, lush lawn. If they go unaddressed, grubs can leave your lawn looking worse for wear. With this in mind, address any grubs, insects, and fungi early in the season, ensuring you prevent lawn disease and bare patches for a healthy lawn.
With integrated pest management, you can ensure your lawn stays healthy and pest-free, equipped against the numerous pests that can do harm. With proper prevention, monitoring, and control methods, our team can help ensure your lawn kicks off on a healthy note this early spring.
Spring Lawn Care Tips from Experts
We aren’t done with all our spring lawn care tips quite yet! With a team of experts with extensive experience handling early spring lawn maintenance, we have some additional preparation tips for when spring arrives. Here’s what we recommend.
Tip #1: Check Your Hoses
Ensure you always start the gardening season with tools equipped for the work. One of the most important elements of this is a well-functioning, sturdy hose.
When looking for a hose this spring, ensure you buy one that’s long enough to water the entire lawn, reaching all corners and flower beds with ease. Typically, a hose will come in lengths from 25 to 100 feet, so ensure you purchase the one that best suits your lawn size.
Tip #2: Get Your Lawn Mower Ready for the Season
Ensure you’re ready to start mowing as soon as your grass is ready. Before the first mowing, consider having your mower serviced. This will ensure it’s ready for the growing season, checking that the starter, air filter, belts, spark plug, and battery are all well-equipped for the new grass.
As part of this process, rake your lawn to remove fallen leaves and twigs. When mowing for the first time, set the mowing height to around 1/2 inch lower than usual to break up the debris. After that, set it back to cut no more than one-third of your grass height to avoid harming your lawn.
Tip #3: Water the Right Way
There is a right way to water your lawn! As part of our spring lawn care tips, we recommend avoiding watering too early. When grass begins to grow, the roots are what grow first, and they will grow deeper in the soil if it is slightly dry. This way, they are better equipped to survive drought stress. That being said, if your lawn doesn’t spring back after you step, it’s time to water.
Tip #4: Fill in the Blanks with Seed or Sod
Last in our spring. lawn care tips are filling in the blanks. You don’t want to leave bare patches across your lawn. To avoid this, spread grass seeds or a sod patch over these sparse areas to fill them in, ensuring a full, healthy lawn.
Keep in mind, good soil contact is essential to this. As part of this, be sure to loosen the surface of the soil with a rake before beginning.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly spring is a wonderful time of the year. However, with the arrival of spring, your site requires great maintenance. From laying new grass seed to knowing whether you are dealing with warm or cool-season grasses, there are a number of spring lawn care tips that can help you better promote a healthy, lush lawn. So, as you begin your spring cleaning indoors, take your attention to the outside, too, with expert spring lawn care to withstand the seasons ahead.
Looking for a seasoned partner for your commercial property’s spring lawn care? We’ve got you covered. With over 20 years of providing expert lawn care across the Midwest, including Green Bay Milwaukee, and Minneapolis, we are proud to share our spring lawn care steps with you. Contact us at Earth Development and we will help you restore your lawn to perfect condition with our professional lawn maintenance services.
Eddy is a distinguished expert in the snow removal and landscaping industry, boasting over 20 years of experience. As an Advanced Snow Manager certified by the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), he is dedicated to upholding the highest industry standards. His strong commitment to excellence and relentless pursuit of improvement makes him a trusted voice in the snow removal and landscaping.
The amount of snow Minnesota gets each winter fluctuates, but it’s typically safe to expect a consistent amount throughout the winter months. Last year, did you have enough space on your property to store plowed snow?
Looking to create a beautiful and inviting outdoor space for your business? Our team of landscaping experts will work with you every step of the way to bring your vision to life. Let’s get started on creating the perfect landscape for your business!
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Spring Landscaping: How to Prepare a Lawn for Spring
As winter ends and the warmer weather starts creeping in, many homeowners get into spring cleaning in readiness for the new season. If you are of those with a big lawn, then this could mean added tasks on your end. Whether clearing dead plants or pruning the existing ones in readiness for a new growing season, you have your work cut out for you. Everyone agrees that preparing your lawn for Spring can be a rewarding experience.
However, it is not the easiest thing to do hence the need to get it right from the word go. But what does this process entail? By following these spring lawn care steps, you can ensure your lawn stays healthy and vibrant all season long.
Step 1: Clean Up Your Lawn
The first step in spring lawn care is to clean up your lawn. Remove any leaves, sticks, or debris that may have accumulated over the winter months. Rake up any dead grass or thatch to prevent it from blocking sunlight and nutrients from reaching the soil.
Step 2: Aerate Your Lawn
After a long winter, your lawn may have become compacted. Aeration can help loosen the soil, allowing air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the root zone. You can rent an aerator or hire a professional to do the job for you.
Step 3: Fertilize Your Lawn
Fertilizing your lawn is essential for healthy growth. Choose a high-quality fertilizer that contains the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A slow-release fertilizer is ideal as it will release nutrients gradually over time, providing sustained nutrition for your lawn.
GrowinGreen Do You Have Bag Worms?
Step 4: Seed Bare Patches
If your lawn has bare patches, spring is the perfect time to reseed. Choose a high-quality grass seed that is suitable for your region and soil type. Spread the seed evenly over the bare areas and cover with a thin layer of topsoil. Water the area frequently to keep the soil moist until the new grass grows in.
Step 5: Control Weeds
Spring is also the time when weeds, such as dandelions begin to emerge. To prevent them from taking over your lawn, consider using a pre-emergent herbicide. This will prevent weed seeds from germinating, keeping your lawn weed-free throughout the season.
Step 6: Mow Your Lawn
As your grass begins to grow, it’s important to keep it at the right length. Set your mower blades to the highest setting and only remove one-third of the grass blade at a time. This will help prevent stress on the grass and promote healthy growth.
Spring Lawn Maintenance
Spring lawn care is an essential part of maintaining a healthy and vibrant lawn. By following these simple steps, you can prepare your lawn for the growing season ahead. Remember to clean up your lawn, aerate, fertilize, seed bare patches, control weeds, and mow your lawn regularly. With the right spring lawn maintenance, your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood.
Ensure the Irrigation System is in Check
Your landscaping preparation for Spring mainly targets excellent growing grass in a nutshell. To do this, you need to clean the lawn, apply fertilizer and pre-emergent weed killer, understand when to start mowing in the Spring and mow early and often, pick healthy mulch, trim trees, and avoid seeding until fall.
If you are in need of commercial spring landscaping services, contact our team today. We specialize in lawn care and early spring landscaping in Lynchburg and the Central to Southwest Virginia area!
Make sure to inspect the irrigation system. It should be in great shape. Repair clogged or cut pipes and make sure that the system works perfectly. Your goal is to ensure your system is ready for when the weather gets warmer and extra irrigation is required. You may have to learn how to start up an irrigation system in the Spring. This will be important to have in tact before the real heat comes in the summer!
Quick Tip on How to prepare the Grass for Spring
Your landscaping preparation for Spring mainly targets excellent growing grass in a nutshell. To do this, you need to clean the lawn, apply fertilizer and pre-emergent weed killer, understand when to start mowing in the Spring and mow early and often, pick healthy mulch, trim trees, and avoid seeding until fall.
If you are in need of commercial spring landscaping services, contact our team today. We specialize in lawn care and early spring landscaping in Lynchburg and the Central to Southwest Virginia area!
Spring lawn care
A beautiful lawn complements the rest of the garden and a spring lawn care routine is the best way to spend a little time and effort getting your lawn into shape – mowing the grass, feeding with a lawn fertiliser and dealing with bare patches, ugly weeds and moss.
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A simple spring lawn care programme will give you a lawn to be proud of, keep it in perfect condition and make friends and neighbours green with envy making you their go to for garden advice.
The secrets of success to effective spring lawn care are:
- Regular lawn mowing with the correct mowing height is essential; cutter height should ideally be no lower than 5cm for the first few cuts, in general.
- Feed your lawn in spring and then again in summer to increase strength, vigour and health.
- Treat lawn weeds and moss quickly and effectively using a lawn weedkiller.
- Deal with bare patches in the lawn immediately to deter weeds and moss taking hold.
- Scarify the lawn to help alleviate the build up of thatch layers in the lawn, including debris, dead grass and moss.
- Aerate your lawn to relieve compaction and let air circulate around the lawn root system. Aeration will also help if you have lawn drainage issues.
Mowing in the spring
The most important lawn care job for a healthy and good looking lawn is correct and regular mowing. You need to cut the grass whenever it is growing – which is likely to be weekly or even more frequently as the weather warms up in spring.
The aim should be to keep it at the same height all through spring. For most lawns this should be about 2.5-4cm (1-1.5in) high. For lawns that take a lot of wear and tear the height is better raised to 5cm (2in). For very shaded areas, mow at a height of 7.5cm (3in).
Mowing too short and, as a consequence weakening the grass, is the quickest and easiest way of allowing weeds and moss to become established and spoiling the lawn.
Try not to let the grass grow really long and then scalp it. This will weaken the grass and allow moss and weeds to come through. Much better to mow regularly and at a higher cut.
Spring lawn feeding
Next on the priority list is feeding the grass, with the right lawn food at the right time. A good feed not only makes the grass greener, but it makes it grow thicker and increases its strength, vigour and health so it is more robust and better equipped to compete with weeds, moss and weather-related stresses. In spring, the best results are achieved by using a granular feed that supplies a regular amount of nutrients over several weeks.
To feed and control weeds and moss in the lawn during spring, use a lawn product such as Miracle-Gro EverGreen Complete 4 in 1. On weed-free and moss-free lawns or to give a quick ‘fix’ and green up, use a straight lawn food product such as Miracle-Gro EverGreen Fast Green.
When using a granular lawn feed it is important to apply it evenly over the whole lawn at the recommended rate. The best, most accurate and easiest way to do this is to use a lawn spreader. Hand-held spreaders are best for smaller lawns and wheeled spreaders for larger lawns.
If you feed the lawn again in 6 week’s time it will remain strong and healthy all summer.
Treating weeds and moss
Lawn weeds are a major headache that can stop you fully enjoying your lawn. A strong, healthy and well-fed lawn will be able to deal with weeds and moss far better than one that isn’t fed and looked after properly.
Where weeds and moss are a problem you need to deal with them quickly. If you just have weeds but no moss, then you can quickly treat your lawn with a liquid lawn weedkiller. These products contain special ingredients that, when applied in accordance with the instructions, won’t cause any damage to your lawn grasses but will control most broad-leaved weeds. If you only have moss but no weeds then there are lawn moss killers available, most will also contain a feed so it will green up your lawn as it kills the moss. bear in mind the moss will turn black as it dies so you may not want to do this just before a party!
For lawns with weeds and moss problems then the solution is also simple, use a granular lawn product containing feeding, weed control and moss control ingredients. Our selection of lawn care products can be viewed here.
Dealing with bare patches
After the ravages of winter, many lawns have bare areas that not only look unsightly, but are perfect places for weeds and moss to take hold. Give your lawn a treat by giving it the once over with a lawn patch repair product. The best products in the market will have a combination of grass seed, coir and slow-release feed and will cover bare patches in no time at all producing a thick grass covering of the bare area.
Where dogs have caused the bare areas, repair the damage with a special blend of salt tolerant grass seeds and a neutraliser to make the ground suitable for grass to grow in again. Use a product such as Miracle-Gro Patch Magic Dog Spot Repair.
Spring over seeding
Every year up to a quarter of the grass in the lawn can die, more after a cold, wet winter. ‘Over seeding’ – sowing new grass seed into the existing lawn – can rejuvenate the lawn and bring it back to life.
Over seeding improves the lawn’s appearance and by increasing the density of the grass you will also reduce weed and moss invasion.
Spring lawn care. further hints and tips
Follow these hints and tips so you can get the best out of your lawn:
- Trim the edges of the lawn whenever you mow to keep crisp lines. This really helps to neaten the whole look of the garden, but always collect the grass trimmings.
- Cut lawn edges with a half-moon edging iron to ensure they look neat and well shaped.
- Scarify with a spring-tine rake to remove dead grass, thatch and other debris that will otherwise prevent healthy grass growth.
- On heavy clay soils, aerate the lawn in early spring with a garden fork or hollow-tined aerator to improve drainage and help reduce waterlogging problems and so make the grass grow better.
- After aerating, add a top dressing to further improve drainage and ensure healthy grass growth.
- If you have over seeded or repaired bare patches, keep the area well-watered until the grass is growing well.
Check out our video tutorials for how to achieve a great looking lawn on our YouTube channel here.
