When you look outside now at the West Michigan snowscape, you may not realize it, but spring is around the corner. Soon the rains will come and wash away the snow. Your lawn, with all of its beauty and problems, will again be visible. What spring lawn work can you do now to make sure this summer your landscape is as lovely and green as it can be?

Targeted work on your yard in the spring can save a lot of back and leg work in the summer. What kind of work needs to be done? First, a good spring clean up is necessary to tidy everything up. No matter how much raking you did last fall, there are always more leaves to rake and more sticks and branches to pick up in the spring. A thorough cleaning will also identify any disease, insect, and rodent problems, so you can eliminate them now.

When everything has been cleaned of leaves and debris, take a look at your landscape beds. Do they need to be edged in order to frame your yard attractively? A good edging job will separate the turf grass of your lawn from your landscaping and stop grass from infiltrating your plantings and making a mess of your beds.

Weed management is the next step. At Bykerk Landscape Management, our goal is to reduce or eliminate the competition for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight between the plants you want in your landscaping and the weeds you do not. We accomplish this through the application of pre- and post-emergent chemicals, hand pulling, and cultivating methods. We also recommend adding landscaping touches like dense ground cover plantings, rock, stone, or a new layer of mulch.

Bark mulch is not only decorative, it’s good for your soil and your plants. A solid layer of mulch will keep moisture from evaporating and save you from having to water your plants too often. It breaks down into organic matter over time, providing nutrients to your soil. More nutrients from mulch means fewer applications of fertilizer are necessary over time.

Of course, adding the proper amount of fertilizer is also necessary in the spring. A slow release fertilizer will last up to three months on average. If you apply it now, another application won’t be necessary until the summer is here.

As the days grow ever longer and sunnier, keep these tips in mind. It may seem like more spring lawn work than you want to think about right now, but it will save you time bending over your beds. When the weather is nice again, you will want to do anything on your weekends except pull weeds! If we at Bykerk Landscape Management can help you prepare your lawn or landscaping for summer, give us a call. We know how to create beautiful looking lawns for our customers in Ada, Cascade, Wyoming, Kentwood, and elsewhere in the Greater Grand Rapids area.