Outdoor Spring Cleaning is Around the Corner

As the weather slowly starts to warm up, the next few weeks offer a great chance for an early spring yard cleanup. While getting the lawn and garden ready for the season seems like a big job, spreading it out over a few mild weekends early in the year can make it much more palatable. Plus, the vitamin D, fresh air, and exercise will do your body and mind a world of good after a long winter indoors. 

If you didn’t clean out your beds in the autumn, now is the time to do it. Cut back any dead debris right down to the ground and prune any shrubs or trees that are overgrown or have been damaged by winter. It’s a lot easier to do this before buds and leaves come, making it more difficult to see what you’re cutting. With that being said, don’t start chopping away at spring bloomers until the buds have formed. If you’re worried about weeds, now is a good time to lay down your landscaper's fabric and mulch new beds. Just be careful to leave space for the plants that you want to come through. 

Don’t let those dead leaves and plant debris go to waste. You can fence off a small area for composting or purchase a tumbler. All that easy-to-break-down yard waste and future food scraps will make fantastic soil for later spring and summer planting. 

If you didn’t reseed your lawn in the fall, it’s not too late. Start by raking up any leaves and branches that have been left behind. Raking also acts as a massage for the ground as it allows oxygen to circulate. I always take it one step further and use an aerator to break up tough, cold soil which gives grass seeds the best chance for survival. Finally, reseed and fertilize to keep hungry birds away.  

If your yard is susceptible to crabgrass, using a pre-emergent will keep weeds at bay. Just make sure you take the proper precautions and don’t apply it near your new grass seedlings as it will kill them off instantly. 

Hardy veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are best for early planting, as the same goes for peas as long as the ground is fully thawed. Spinach and lettuces are pretty tough too and can generally be put right into the ground in March if the weather cooperates. 

Finally, it’s too early now, but soon it will be time to start mowing. I always recommend setting the blade as high as it will go, especially if you’ve recently reseeded the yard. It’s smart to tread lightly in the first few weeks to make sure that the grass has time to properly root and get comfortable. Go too short too fast and you’ll have a complicated relationship with your yard for the rest of the season. 

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Spring Lawn Care Tips During a Drought

This week’s short patch of warmer weather probably had you thinking about your lawn and wondering what you can do prepare it for summer while the city is still under mandatory water restrictions. Our drought status isn’t likely to be updated until at least May, so in the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a few tips on how you can try to preserve your grass as we continue through this dry spell.

Of course, grass needs water to grow, but outdoor watering right now is not possible, so first let’s focus on the soil. Healthy soil is key for root systems to grow and with proper aeration and management, soil can actually retain moisture incredibly well. When water is scarce, roots will dig deep to find the nutrients that they need. If they can’t find what they are looking for due to compaction, low pH levels, or layers of dead materials, the roots will start to die off and you’ll find yourself with a brown lawn. However, if your soil is in good shape, you don’t need to water your lawn as much, regardless of our drought status. Here are most common methods of maintaining good soil.

Topdressing is the application of a thin layer of compost to your lawn. The nutrient-rich composition of organic matter in compost can give your lawn the biology boost it needs to stay strong during drought conditions.

Aerating is a method by which a homeowner uses a machine to punch small holes into the lawn, allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots of the lawn easier. This is an excellent practice during drought times as it allows what little precipitation we may get to reach the most important part of the lawn faster.

Dethatching is the process that removes old and dead organic materials such as leaves from your lawn. The long winter generally kills anything that isn’t attached to roots, and these materials can get compacted into your lawn, placing a barrier between your grass and the sun, air, and water it needs to grow. Removing the thatch is key to let the new, living material get to the surface.

Once your soil is in tip-top shape, you can decide whether to try and preserve the grass you have or look for a drought tolerant alternative. If you’d like to try and keep your grass until the drought lets up, mow it as infrequently as possible and cut it at the highest setting on your lawn mower.

For those who are interested in drought-tolerant grasses, some of the most popular warm season varieties include Bermuda grass, Zoysia grass, and Buffalo grass, but each variety performs differently depending on the amount of sun and traffic they get, as well as the soil composition.

Hopefully, we won’t need to worry about drought tolerant lawn care in the near future, but if you are looking to make a major change with your landscaping, always consult with a professional who can help you choose which solution is right for your needs.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.