Spring Yard Clean-Up Checklist for Airdrie Gardens and Lawns
When the snow and ice have finally receded after another long Alberta winter, homeowners are always looking to catch up on all that yard work they’ve missed. It’s worth having a checklist for spring yard clean up so you don’t accidentally miss an important step.
Don’t leave a single stone unturned and learn how to clean up your yard for spring now that warmer weather is finally upon us.
Removing Winter Debris and Clutter
Put on some gloves and start removing large pieces of visible debris from the yard. Winter debris includes dead grass, leaves, pinecones, sticks, and branches. It may also include dog litter if your neighborhood is home to a few pets.
Plan to rake your lawn thoroughly after the winter months or seek lawn care services to help out with post-winter cleanup. If you’re thinking about creating compost, remember to move large items like pinecones that aren’t easily shreddable.
Renewing Perennial Beds
Use the springtime as an opportunity to weed out the yard, remove dead growth, and fertilize the soil. Compost is the most advisable choice thanks to its slow action and low chance of damaging the grass, but chemical fertilizers are also an option if you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations carefully.
For yards with perennial flower beds, start up the seasonal growth immediately after the winter ends. You can set up a new flower bed on your lawn by tilling the soil and converting that specific patch of dirt into a new planting bed.
Planting Trees, Shrubs, and Perennial Flowers
The early spring is a perfect time to plant durable, hardy perennial flowers, trees, and shrubs. For more tender perennials, the ideal date to start planting is around mid-May, when Airdrie experiences its average last frost.
Preventing Weed Growth
Spring is a time where your gardens and yards can flourish again after the snow has stopped falling, but it also means the weeds will be on their way, too. Get to them before they start growing out by adding weed control to your spring yard clean up checklist.
A preemergent herbicide works best for large, open spaces like the yard. Apply it soon before the soil temperature rises high enough for weeds to start growing.
Controlling Animals and Pests
Depending on your neighborhood, installing fencing may be necessary to protect your yard from dogs, rabbits, deer, and other wildlife. But one yard cleaning service you should call is lawn spraying to protect yourself from deer ticks, which often emerge around the springtime.
Spring Pruning of Shrubs
Unfortunately, not all plants survive the harsh Canadian winter. Shrubs and tree limbs that have succumbed to frost and cold temperatures require pruning in the spring. Look for brown parts of the plant that stand out from the usual green.
Shrubs require a bit of extra thought, however. Prune too early, and you might miss out on some otherwise beautiful flowering. Check whether your shrubs prune in the spring. If so, wait until they’ve finished flowering before cutting off dead components. For shrubs that bloom later in the year, start pruning in the early spring as you wish.
Removing Mulch and Monitoring Perennial Growth
Lawn owners apply mulch to preserve soil moisture and fertility. However, it can also hinder the growth of perennial plants, so remove deep layers of mulch in the early spring but expect to reapply the mulch later to suppress summertime weeds.
Enlist the Experts in Spring Yard Clean Up in Airdrie
Lawn care can be complicated work in the dynamic climate of Alberta. The cold winter gives you a chance to start fresh, and the following spring is the perfect opportunity to freshen up your green space. After clearing out debris, pruning shrubs, and removing mulch, it’s all up to you how you want your yard to flourish.
But what if you needed help on more advanced services like sod installation or general maintenance? What you need is a lawn care service provider with experience in your area.
Does a spring cleanup package with services like soil aeration and power raking sound heavenly to you?
Get a free quote from Scott’s Sod and get this year’s gardening off on the right foot.
