How to do a Spring Clean-Up

The snow is hopefully on its way out of Northern Michigan, and likely, your yard is in serious need of some TLC. This year is a bit of a unique one as we had a large snow event in October, possibly before you or your company was able to complete your fall clean up. If you had enough snow melt to be able to get those pesky fall leaves cleaned up, your Spring Clean-up will be much easier, however, if you did not get them taken care of, an extensive Spring Clean-up is going to be very important to have a thriving lawn this season.

Step One-Assess Property and Repair Damage

• Take a walk around your property to look at all trees, shrubs, and perennial plantings. Broken branches should be pruned back and dead pruned out. Remove any burlap used to protect trees in the winter months. To learn more about pruning, check out this blog. 

• Inspect your hardscape materials. Sometimes if a patio or walkway was not installed correctly, stones can crack or joints can need to be repaired after the cold of winter. Doing this before you pull out your patio furniture saves time and a whole lot of heavy lifting. To learn how to care for your hardscape, check out this blog.

• Assess any damage made to landscape lighting or sprinkler heads. If you feel comfortable making the repairs, do this as soon as possible. If not, place a call to get repairs made and the irrigation system started.

• If you did not get the leaves cleaned up this year because of the early snow, it still needs to be done even though they may be wet and stuck to the grass. Allowing leaves to decay on your lawn can lead to disease and pest problems all year long.

• Repair any damage to sod or areas ruined by rotting leaves. It is wise to fertilize your lawn at the appropriate time with a pre-emergent and seed if there are major dead spots. Be sure to check temperatures, as seeding frozen ground is a no no.

Step Two-Freshen Up Your Property

• Beautify your landscape beds. Rake out any additional fallen leaves or branches. Landscape beds need their edges freshened every year to keep them defined and from bleeding in to the lawn. We recommend putting down a pre-emergent weed control before spreading mulch. Remember to mulch with a thin layer and avoid piling mulch around the base of any trees. To learn why we prefer mulch, check out this blog.

• Depending on the health of your grass, over seeding, fertilization, re-seeding, or aeration may be needed. If you are looking to simply thicken up your lawn over seeding and fertilization are a great choice. If your lawn just needs to be generally healthier and needs some help battling weeds, fertilization (usually a program of several applications) is important. If you have dead spots, it is best to rake out the dead, add some soil, and re-seed. If your soil is extremely compacted, aeration is a great choice. Experts in lawn maintenance can visit your property to make recommendations that are best for your property if you are unsure of what your issue is.

• Prepare your perennials and start thinking about annuals. If you left up any plants for winter interest, it is time to cut them back so fresh growth can begin this season. We also recommend starting to research which annuals would best fit your property and where you plan to install.

• Hard surface clean up is essential as well, especially if you are a commercial property that received salt and sand during the winter months.

Completing Your Spring Clean-Up

Though a Spring Clean-Up is typically thought of as easier than a fall one, there are a whole lot of steps to complete to have your property ready for the warmer seasons. Skipping steps like pruning plants or installing new mulch can create a whole lot more work down the line. While you might be eager to get outside after the cold, selecting a landscaping company to help with your clean-up may save you time and a ton of work. Whether you decide to DIY your clean-up or work with professionals, don’t skip the Spring Clean-Up!

Ready to have the best-looking property on the block in Grand Traverse or Leelanau County, MI? If so, meet with our team of experts, choose a solution to improve your property, and get ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy your beautiful outdoor space.