6 Tips to Prevent Weeds in Your Yard this Spring
As the weather warms up, it’s time to start planning all of the spring time backyard activities — but before you light the grill, you probably want to make sure that your backyard is in tip top condition, and that means taking care of those pesky weeds. To help make your spring yard dream a reality, we’ve put together some helpful tips to keep your lawn weed-free!
1) Fertilize
It is important to stimulate root growth and wake your grass up from winter dormancy. Fertilize your grass to ensure you have a thick, strong, weed-free lawn. Use the right kind of fertilizer, apply fertilizer at the right rate and at the right time.
2) Apply Crabgrass Pre-Emergent
Just as the name suggests, this treatment goes on before crabgrass emerges to prevent it from popping up later in the summer. This creates a barrier across the surface of the soil that the crabgrass seeds have a difficult time germinating through.
3) Control Broadleaf Weeds
Apply a broadleaf weed control to spring weeds such as dandelion, chickweed, henbit, ground ivy, wild violet, wild onion and plantain to give your grass space to thicken up.
4) Set Your Mowing Blade Higher
Mow at least 3 1/2 inches or higher. The higher the mowing height, the more water is retained in the grass plant. It also helps to shade the grass roots and soil keeping them cooler in the summer months. When grass is severely cut back, the growth of the roots and the plant comes to a complete stop until the leaves can recover. This places a huge amount of stress on the grass plant which is often visible in a yellow to brownish look to the lawn. Mowing too short creates stress on the grass plant which will make it thin out, be more susceptible to heat, cold, drought, insects and disease.
5) Test Your Soil
In the same way that a doctor will order a series of tests when you are sick to determine what is wrong with you, a soil test looks to see what might be wrong with your soil. Your lawn care company can perform soil testing and interpret the analysis for you. Foremost on the report is determining the soil pH, a measure of how acidic or alkaline the soil is. Generally, soils in the northeastern United States tend to be acidic. Nutrients have different availability to the plants at different pH levels, so the goal is to determine the pH level and to amend the soil to bring the pH into the desired range. For example, if the soil is acidic, limestone will be applied. The soil test results will provide the recommended amounts of limestone and fertilizers necessary to provide optimum growth. Many weeds favor acidic soil, so it is important to apply lime when needed.
6) Contact an Expert
When weeds start to take over your yard, it can seem like an unending battle. If you’re unsure what the best treatment is for your yard, it’s usually best to reach out to an expert to make sure you protect it the best way possible. As a locally owned business with over 30 years of experience, you’re treated as more than a customer — you’re our neighbor!