Man, winter, you really know how to make a mess.
Surveying your yard at the end of winter is kind of like walking into your kitchen the morning after your Super Bowl party — except no fallen tree branches scattered all over the kitchen floor. (If there are tree branches, congrats — that must have been some party.)
Once winter has made its mess and moved on, it’s time for spring landscape cleanup.
What needs to happen out there?
Here’s a handy spring yard cleanup checklist:
Give Your Lawn Some Love
Winter can be tough on your lawn, from leaving all kinds of slimy, suffocating debris to causing damage with snow plows and ice melt products.
Clear off any debris, from stray litter to old leaves to branches that fell during the winter.
Your grass can’t thrive in spring if it’s still covered in last fall’s yucky yard gunk. It needs sunlight to thrive.
Gently rake the leftover matted leaves and debris. Loosen the soil a bit so your grass can breathe and grow.
Spring landscaping cleanup includes removing any areas of grass damaged by salt, plows, or disease to prepare for the seeding that should follow in a few weeks.
See any snow mold? Snow mold is generally the first spring lawn fungus in Idaho to show up after the snow starts melting.
You’ll notice circular brown or pink matted areas of your lawn ranging from two inches to three feet.
The good news: you might just need to do some raking. If the crowns and roots aren’t infected, a light raking of the matted area will loosen the grass and allow new grass to grow.
Spring Yard Cleanup Around Planting Beds
Don’t worry — your bleak and messy planting beds will be bursting with colorful blooms soon.
But first, tidy up.
Grab the rake and rake out old fallen leaves and the remains of last summer’s annuals, if you didn’t get to it last fall. That yucky debris can smother plants and encourage disease.
Spring yard cleanup checklist: Go ahead and remove any old mulch, too. You’ll want a nice fresh batch for the new growing season.
Not sure you need mulch? You do. Bark mulch conserves water so you need less irrigation. It keeps your plants’ roots cozy in cold weather and cool in summer’s heat.
Mulch keeps rain from washing away your soil, keeps weeds from popping up, adds nutrients to your soil, and just plain looks great, adding a tidy, uniform appearance to your beds.
Pruning: Part of Spring Landscape Cleanup
In most cases, the best time to prune is in the dormant season, November through March here in Idaho, because trees and shrubs are less susceptible then to tree pests or diseases.
But feel free to prune away any dead branches during your spring landscape cleanup to make room for new growth.
Zap Weeds Before They Sprout
While you’re out there giving your yard some love, don’t forget about pre-emergent herbicide to prevent pesky spring weeds from sprouting.
Pre-emergent has to be applied early in the season when soil temperatures are still below 50 degrees. So spring landscape cleanup is the perfect time to zap weeds before they sprout.
Spring Landscape Cleanup in Idaho? Trust Outback
Not too crazy about this spring yard cleanup checklist? Got more exciting things to do?
Leave the mess to us.
We specialize in full-service landscape maintenance services in Idaho Falls and Boise, ID, from spring cleanup through summer mowing and sprinkling through fall fertilization and aeration.
If we take care of every inch of your lawn through all of the seasons, we’ll get to know it pretty well. That makes for a happy, healthy lawn.
Located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we serve residential and commercial properties in Idaho Falls, Rexburg and Pocatello, Idaho, as well as Bonneville, Madison and Bannock counties.
Call us at 208-656-3220. Or fill out the contact form to schedule a no-obligation meeting with one of our team members.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
