Depending on where you live, your definition of “Spring  Lawn Cleanup” may vary from what mine is. But since this is my awesome lawn care site, we will go with my thoughts, ok?

Ok, so first off, we need to get out clean up any trash that is lying around. Garbage out on the lawn looks bad, but even worse, underneath the garbage is a perfect breeding ground for fungus! Watch the vid and see the color difference in the lawn when I lift up the piece of debris.

I actually look stupid in this vid, but the point is solid. Watch it ok?

(if you are seeing this in an email, you need to click on the title above to come to the blog and view the vid)

In addition, we need to make sure and rake up any leaves that are left from last fall. Get them ALL! We need to let our beautiful lawn breath freely as it wakes up from winter slumber.

Now, if you want to, you can call a landscape pro to do your cleanup for you. You can get estimates for spring cleanup by clicking here.

A note to regular readers: Guys, I am really looking forward to this year’s lawn care season. I have purchased a high definition video camera and I want to go 100% video posting. With that, I think I can convey my passion for lawns a little better and also teach you guys a little better.
I also recommend you get my ebook on lawn care. Not to schlep my crap, but because the lawn care program I outline works! thanks guys, I appreciate you.

If you want to become a regular reader too, please subscribe to the blog by entering your email in the form on the top right. No spam ever! we love lawn care.

In the Chicago area, we winterize everything.
The television and radio are inundated with advertisements urging people to get their vehicles ready for winter. In addition, this past weekend, I winterized my pool for the long, cold months to follow.
People are sealing their driveways, plastic shrink-wrapping their boats, and servicing their furnaces. It’s time for winter!
So why should your lawn be any different? The best reason to take some time with your lawn now, is so you will have less to do next Spring. Here are some tips:

(1) Fertilize. I recommend a good dose of 20-20-10 granular fert.  The nutrients will remain in the soil and be used by the lawn in March and April. Remember, the thick blanket of snow that sits on the lawn all winter will melt in Spring … just like a nice, heavy rainfall! If you have nutrients already sitting there, your lawn will be first to green up in March/April.

(2) Aerate. Aeration is a mechanical process wherein cores of soil are actually removed from the lawn. This removing of cores (about the size of a roll or dimes) helps to relieve compaction. It also allows the grass roots to spread out, thus thickening the lawn. The best time to aerate is now because this this is when grass roots form. (as opposed to the grass growing on top in the Spring). You can rent an aerator for about $40 for 4 hours, or call a professional lawn company to do it for about double the cost. You can also check with my friends at Service Magic and get up to 4 estimates for free!

(3) Seed. This is also a good time to overseed the lawn. Overseeding accomplishes several things, but I like to generally overseed the lawn to add in new cultivars that are disease resistant. Remember, cheap seed is garbage! Buy the good stuff that has 0% weed content!

(4) Edge. I recommend a good edging of the lawn using a metal blade edger. This will get all the overgrowth (the grass that flops over the sidewalks and driveways) out of the way when you go to shovel the snow.

(5) Bagging. You should go ahead and bag your lawn clippings for the final couple mowings just to keep things nice and clean. You also might consider cutting the lawn 1” shorter than normal on the final cut of the season. This acts as a way to “rejuvenate” the turf in the Spring and helps avoid winter die-back of grass plants.

Do it yourself lawn tips brought to you by Life and Lawns.