The “hard” days of winter are behind us, and sunny days with temperatures in the 60s have morphed into sunny days with temperatures that range from the 80s and upward. Spring has arrived in the Phoenix area, and we can all safely say we made it through another “tough” winter! Ok, we know you recognize the humor behind that statement; winter in Phoenix is the best time of year, but we do have a tendency to get so busy playing outside—while we can—that we ignore our yards, so we at New Image Landscape and Pools have created this spring yard clean-up tips and checklist for you to follow to prepare for our main season: SUMMER!
Spring Yard Clean-Up Tips: Pick Up Debris
Leaves from deciduous trees, broken branches from the last storm, even toys left behind from children who spent more time on their bikes over the winter than playing in the backyard can leave your yard looking unkempt. If all you do is clean up the debris, your yard’s appearance will improve exponentially! For those with desert landscape, sweeping escaped rocks back onto the “lawn” will help as well!
Prune Your Gardens
This is the time to deadhead your rose bushes, trim back bougainvillea or oleander bushes that have taken over the yard, and trim back trees that may have been harmed from the very rare frost occurrences. If your perennials are plants that bloom in the spring, be sure to wait until AFTER they have bloomed to prune them to ensure beautiful flowers this season!
Fertilize
The green, green grass of home is a beautiful thing, and if you take the time to fertilize now, your summer lawn will be the envy of all your neighbors! This is also a good time to aerate your lawn, which allows the nutrients in your fertilizer to reach the roots of your grass. Renting an aerator from your local home improvement store is easy and inexpensive. Start by cutting your grass really short (think of the buzz cuts you give your sons every summer), then go to town with the aerator. Fertilizing, followed by a deep watering, should ensure your successful summer lawn!
If You Let Your Lawn Go Dormant Over the Winter
Now is the time to increase your watering schedule. It’s still not necessary to water every day, but the once a week watering the lawn you most likely went to during dormancy is not enough to allow your lawn to turn that emerald green we all love. Watering the lawn every other day for longer periods of time (longer soakings reach roots for good grass health) should do the trick!
