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5 Spring Maintenance Tips for a Summer-Ready Yard

by | Feb 26, 2020 | Home Maintenance, Real Estate Tips, YourHome

 

After a long, harsh winter and months of hibernation, your yard is now ready for warmer temperatures. To ensure that the soil is ready to grow some new grass and flowers, you need to take a few steps to set it up for success.

Resetting your sprinkler system and aerating the lawn can do wonders for your trees, plants, and shrubs.

Read on for 5 essential spring maintenance tips that’ll get your yard ready for the warmer season ahead.

1. Aerate Your Lawn

The first and most crucial step to preparing your yard for spring is to aerate the soil. You can do this by poking holes in the ground using a rake or special aerating tools such as a spike or plug aerators.

This process will help the soil absorb nutrients, water, and oxygen better so that the grass, plants, and trees thrive in the spring.

2. Rake and Mow Your Lawn

After you aerate, you might be wondering when to mow your lawn, especially if leaves are still falling from trees. It’s best to do this right before using soil fertilizers and planting new plants. You want the surface to be clean from debris, twigs, and weeds before you mow.

Once you mow the entire yard, you’ll be able to notice any bare patches where you can reseed grass. Make sure to check your mower before you begin and sharpen any dull blades.

3. Fertilize the Yard

After raking and mowing, your yard is now clean and ready for fertilizing. As soon as you notice the grass growing, you should spread nitrogen-rich fertilizer to help it thrive.

The key to lush, healthy grass is in choosing the right fertilizer for your yard. Consult your local garden center for advice. Different soil types and climates require different fertilizers, so make sure you do your research before you buy.

4. Prune Any Trees or Shrubs

During winter, trees and shrubs lose their leaves as they get ready to grow new ones. By pruning, you help them get rid of any dried or dead parts and make room for new branches.

This is a great way to create additional space for flower beds and decide what type of xeriscaping or landscaping you want to do.

5. Set up Your Sprinklers

Once your yard is all clean, using a sprinkler system will finish everything off and get it ready for spring. No matter how much rainfall there is in your area, the grass may still need additional moisture. For best results, turn on the sprinklers either at night or in the early morning hours to help the grass absorb more water.

Get Your Yard Ready With These Spring Maintenance Tips

Whether you have a big backyard or a small patch of land in the front, preparing it for the spring season is a must if you want lush greenery.

These backyard spring maintenance tips will help you set everything up in no time and give your yard the sprucing up it needs.

Now that your backyard is ready for the warmer temperatures, it’s time to get your home all ready for spring as well. Read this article to get the spring home maintenance checklist you need today.

Xeriscaping in Utah

by | Jul 3, 2019 | Home Maintenance, Salt Lake City, YourHome

Should you be Xeriscaping in Utah?  Here are a few things to consider!

Let’s face it, Salt Lake City is a desert.  A high desert, but still with our annual precipitation rates, we 100% qualify as a desert. Living in the desert, such as we do in Utah, can make keeping a green grass and fully landscaped yard a spendy endeavor.  Not only that, but it is not terribly environmentally friendly.

According to the WSS Water Usage table: “Running a typical sprinkler from a standard garden hose (5/8”) for one hour uses about 1,020 gallons of water; if you run it three times per week, that is about 12,240 gallons per month.”  When it is 90+ degrees out there and you have to water every day to keep your lawn alive, well… it adds up.

That is why we are seeing more and more homeowners lean towards xeriscaping in Utah.  Just what IS xeriscaping?  Xeriscaping is a way of landscaping that uses drought-resistant plants, natural elements, and water-wise features to reduces the need to water your space.

Here are some of the benefits of xeriscaping in Utah:

 

  1. You will DRASTICALLY reduce the amount of water you use in your yard.  This is better for the environment and much more affordable for you.
  2. Water-wise plants can be quite beautiful
  3. No weekly mowing, trimming and weeding your lawn (though be careful in thinking that xeriscaping means “maintenance free,” it does take time and care and you’ll probably still have to weed).
  4. Xeriscaping with native plants reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
  5. Your yard isn’t going to die if you go out of town for a week and forget to have someone water

 

Here are our top tips for xeriscaping in Utah:

 

  1. Using native plants for the area will give you a could chance of success, these plants have already adapted to the elements and climate.
  2. Also, due to their deep root system, using native plants when xeriscaping in Utah, means they can survive with the little water they capture from rainwater runoff. These plants are also resistant to freezing, common diseases, pests, and herbivores.
  3. Having some form of irrigation may be necessary depending on your layout and plant selection.  This can be natural irrigation channels that are built into your xeriscaping layout.
  4. Rain barrels may be a great option to collect rain run-off and distribute in your yard or to your house plants. (Check your city ordinances, since rain barrel collection isn’t allowed everywhere)
  5. Don’t think you have to plant everywhere – you can use natural elements like stone, sand, gravel, and wood to create a beautiful landscape.
  6. Weeds can be aggressive when you take out a lawn – so be sure to be aggressive and ruthless back.

 

Our BEST resources for xeriscaping in Utah:

 

  • Contact Salt Lake City Public Utilities, rain barrels are for sale for $68. The barrels have a mosquito screen, threaded spigot, two ¾-inch overflow valves, and 60-gallon capacity.  A GREAT deal.
  • Find a list of native plants for Utah here.
  • Find information on how to design a Wildlife Garden here.
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