YORK, Pa. — A plush lawn and bright garden could be around the corner.
Taking some easy steps now will pay off by the summer!
But where to start?
Luckily, the milder weather doesn’t affect when to pretreat the grass for weeds.
“You could start doing the first round in early March,” said Matt Musser, general manager at the Inch and Co. Landscape Division.
Do you have to do it that early?
“No,” he said, and added that as long as the ground isn’t frozen and you beat the weeds, it’s fine.
Musser says if you’re seeding for that thicker grass, you’re already past the ideal time, and the window of opportunity is closing fast.
“You definitely want to get that done in the early spring, but the best time is in the fall for that,” he said.
Be sure to avoid any pre-emergent herbicide for about 5 weeks or you risk hurting the grass.
Fixing up any brown patches is simple.
“One way would be to use a hand tool to work those areas up, and then just put seed in those,” suggested Musser.
Then water as needed, and you’re on your way to your greenest grass yet!
“Some irrigation when it’s dry would be great for your lawn,” he added.
Setting up flowerbeds, plants and trees for the warmer months is a little different but still simple. You should start by taking care of any weeds or treating.
“Manually pulling them,” Musser explained. “You could use an herbicide product such as Roundup up to maybe two weeks before you mulch. Spray Roundup to let the weeds die.”
With weeds out of the way, mulching is next. Just be mindful of how much you’re using.
“I like to go about one and half to two inches, because you don’t want the mulch to build up too much over time,” Musser recommended. “But for a brand new bed, or a bed that hasn’t been mulched in, say, two or three years, you want to go three inches thick.”
Musser recommends oakbark mulch over a hardwood mulch.
“The one benefit I really like about the oakbark mulch is if you get a lot of water or a heavy thunderstorm or something, hardwood mulch can just seem to float away and flow down into your yard,” the landscaper said.
Watch the root flares of any trunks or stems, because trees and plants could die early years down the line.
“The root flare is basically right where you see the roots starting to flare out from the main trunk,” Musser explained. “So when you’re mulching, you want the mulch to come in right to about there.”
You can use stone as opposed to mulch. It’s a higher startup cost, but there’s a nice advantage for busier lifestyles.
“The biggest benefit to stone is that you only have to do it once," Musser said. "Then then next year, the third year, the fourth year, you don’t really have to worry about it.”
Just make sure to purchase a thicker weed fabric instead of the thinner fabrics.
“I’ve actually seen the weeds growing straight through them,” he recalled, “so I would suggest getting something of quality.”
With these simple tips and a little upkeep, your outdoor escape will be in tip-top shape in no time!