Step-by-Step to an Awesome Lawn – Do These 7 Simple Lawn Care Tasks in March for Lush Results
Want the best lawn in the neighborhood come summer? Invest a few hours in spring lawn care this weekend and your garden grass is set for success.
Your lawn is the most plant-rich area of your garden, but do you give it as much love and attention as your borders? Nope! A lush lawn is the centerpiece of a beautiful backyard, and it doesn’t take much time to turn it into a sweep of green gorgeousness – just as long as you act now with some early spring lawn care. I’ve set out seven simple spring lawn care tasks that will give you a fabulous lawn by summer and they don’t take long. You could get them all done in an afternoon, depending on the size of your lawn of course. But honestly, even if you only manage to do one or two, it’ll make a big difference to grass growth.
Combined, these seven steps not only create optimum conditions for your lawn to grow well, they keep it looking good, too. Strong, even grass growth will mean there’s no space for weed seeds to settle and grow, so your lawn will take less of your gardening time for the rest of the year.
Ready? Let’s get started! Just so you know, I’ve included plenty of product links so you can see exactly what I’m talking about in case you’ve already got something similar stashed in the shed, not because you need to spend a lot to get a lovely lawn. If any of your neighbors have a covetable lawn, they’ll no doubt have some of these tools so it’s well worth asking if you could borrow them, too.
1. Cut the Grass
Once the worst of the winter weather is behind you, your grass will start growing, and regular cutting will help thicken the turf. For the first trim of the year, set your lawnmower blades higher than normal, to around 1½ inches off the ground. Mow once a week or fortnight from now on, depending on the weather and how fast your grass grows, and, as the weeks go by, gradually lower the blades little by little. By summer, your mower blades should be around an inch high. Choose a dry day that’s not frosty.
Before you mow, though, sharpen your mower blades. You’ll not only get a tidier lawn, but blunt blades can damage the grass. It only takes 10 minutes, and you’ll get that time back as sharp blades will make it quicker to mow your lawn. If you’ve already got a sharpening stone such as this one from Amazon, use that – but it’s much faster (and more fun) with a blade sharpener bit that fits into a hand drill, like this 5-pack from Amazon. If you’re a gadget geek, then the annual task of sharpening your mower blades will be even more satisfying with a cordless sharpener like this nifty number from Amazon.
Make sure your mower isn’t connected to a power source when you sharpen blades – and that means taking the battery out of a cordless mower, too.
2. Weed Judiciously
None of us want a weed-infested lawn that looks untidy, but should you get rid of all the weeds? Absolutely not. Low-growing clover, daisies and bird’s foot trefoil are all good to leave in your lawn for dainty flowers that look pretty and provide a valuable source of nectar to pollinators.
Bigger lawn weeds like dandelions and thistles tend to have long tap roots, and if you snap these as you pull the plant, it’ll grow back stronger than ever. You need a tool that gives you leverage to get these strong roots out cleanly. Use an angled, notched weed puller like this hand tool from Amazon, rather than one with rake-like prongs – that’s designed to pull up shallow-rooted weeds. If you’ve got a lot of weeds to pull or a bad back, then a long-handled weed puller with a claw-type tip like this one from Amazon will make life easier.
If you’re gardening for wildlife, consider leaving your dandelions in your lawn for a few weeks longer, as they’re a super source of nectar for early-flying pollinators when not much else is blooming. Simply snap the spent flowerheads off before they turn into seedheads to prevent the plant spreading.
3. Re-edge Your Borders
Where your lawn meets flowerbeds, grass is likely to have reached into the fertile soil. If you’re dealing with a serious invasion, a half-moon lawn edger like this saw-tooth edging tool from Amazon will reinstate a clean line between grass and soil. If the edge just needs a tidy, then snip along the edge with a pair of long-handled edging shears like these from Amazon. If you’ve got a mini hedge trimmer (like this cordless trimmer from Amazon), then check to see if it has an additional grass shearing blade to swap in – most do, and it’ll give your lawn edges a tidy buzz-cut.
4. Get Rid of Moss
The reason why weeds love to seed in lawns is that there are lots of thin, moist patches where they can easily get a foothold. Thickening up your lawn is the answer but, before you do, you need to get rid of the competition and give your grass room to grow. Have a closer look at your lawn and you’ll see that there are patches of moss and lots of brown, dead grass, known as thatch – and this is what you’re going to eliminate.
It’s simple (and hugely satisfying) to do. All you need is a springtine rake such as this one from Amazon – you probably already have one for raking leaves. If you’ve got a big lawn, then an electric scarifier like this from Amazon is an easier option. You’ll be amazed how much debris you remove from your lawn!
5. Aerate the soil
Lawns are subjected to a lot of use and the soil often becomes compacted. This makes it hard for water, air and nutrients to filter down into the soil to feed grass roots. But it’s an easy fix. All you need do is aerate the soil by creating lots of little holes all over your lawn. You can do this with your garden fork, or there are plenty of purpose-made aerating tools available, such as this rolling aerator from Amazon. You can even get spiked soles that Velcro over your shoes (from Amazon) so all you have to do is walk around your lawn!
6. Reseed Bare Spots
You’ll likely have a few sparse patches of grass after winter, as well as bald spots where you’ve removed weeds, that need overseeding. Grass seeds need contact with soil to germinate well, so it’s often best to cut a square of sparse turf out and replace soil to lawn level before sowing. Any lawn repair product, such as as this from Amazon, will contain fast-growing seeds that’ll germinate in under two weeks. If you’ve got a larger patch to repair, then it’s better to choose a specialist lawn seed tailored to the conditions you have. Water well, but gently so as not to wash seed away, and keep moist until the grass is established.
If your lawn has burn spots caused by dog urine, then products are available to neutralize the acidity of urine-damaged soil, allowing grass to regrow, such as this from Amazon. When looking for burn-spot repair treatments, do read the fine print as some are simply dyes that paint the dead grass green! Going forwards, consider natural dog chews (such as these from Amazon) that balance nitrogen levels in urine to reduce this problem.
7. Feed Grass Growth
Now you’re ready to get that grass growing! Look for a lawn fertilizer that promotes root as well as shoot growth, and releases nutrients over a long time period, such as this one from Amazon, and spread according to packet instructions.
Another option, if you have a mulching option on your mower, is to feed your lawn its own clippings. Some lawnmowers have a mode that chops the grass into very short lengths as it cuts. Left on the lawn, this breaks down to supply grass with nitrogen for strong growth.
And that's it! Time for a cup of tea on your patio, and you can look forward to a fabulous lawn this summer.
