Taking care of your lawn year round will keep it healthy and lush throughout the seasons. While you may think that spring and summer are the only real times your landscaping needs upkeep, protecting and maintaining it can be done all year long. What needs to be done when, though?
We’re giving you our guide to how to take care of your lawn year round and stay the envy of friends, family, and neighbors!
Learning How to Take Care of Your Lawn Year Round
Year round lawn maintenance may sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you like to try gardening and lawn care yourself or prefer the benefits of outsourcing your landscaping, knowing which tasks to do at what times during the year can make a huge difference. You’ve read up on tips for how to landscape the front of your house and used a landscape planner online to find ways landscape design can transform your backyard now don’t let all that effort go to waste!
Let’s take a look at how to take care of your lawn year round from a seasonal perspective:
- Spring planting, lawn rehabilitation, and new projects
- Summer lawn care and maintenance alongside dream landscape projects
- Fall cleanup to prepare for harsh winter months
- Winter lawn care precautions to prevent excess damage during cold months
Spring Lawn Care Tips
First up in our guide for how to take care of your lawn year round comes spring. Spring is one of the most beautiful times of year and is when your lawn and landscaping are coming back to life. This is the time to assess any damage from the recent winter months so that you can have a lush lawn as soon as possible. Spring cleaning isn’t limited to the inside of the home. Having a spring yard cleanup checklist can help you know exactly what tasks to do that will have your lawn looking incredible for spring, summer, and into fall. If you don’t want to handle the work yourself, spring lawn cleanup services can have it done for you without you having to do a thing.
The first thing to do for spring lawn cleanup is remove any remaining debris from your yard and landscaping. This process is called dethatching and is the process of removing the layer of debris (called thatch) from above the soil, allowing any new seeds to contact the soil and flourish. Spring may also be an ideal time to aerate your yard if the soil has become compacted by frequent use during the winter (you can check out the tools needed for spring cleanup after this article).
After you’ve cleared the debris, you’ll be able to see any places where snow mold may have damaged your grass. Do you have holes that need filling or erosion damage from melted snow that needs fixing? Are there sections that need seeding? A clear yard also makes it easier for you to know which branches need to be cut back or removed due to wind, snow, or ice damage and which annuals need to be pulled having not survived the winter. Pruning back perennials makes way for healthy spring and summer blooms.
Spring cleanup in Albany, NY and the surrounding areas is also an ideal time to overseed your lawn. Capital Region landscape professionals will be able to tell you what grass is right for Upstate NY lawns. As spring also tends to be a more wet season, you’ll also need to start mowing your lawn once again. Be sure your blades are sharpened to avoid damaging your grass. During this season you’ll need to check how frequently to mow your lawn based on the type of grass you have in your lawn.
Pro Tip: If you’ve prepared for spring by following our fall cleanup guide and taking winter precautions, you’ll have made your life much easier!
Summer Lawn Care in Upstate NY
Summer is probably the season you think of first when you’re considering how to take care of your lawn year round. The hot summer months put the most strain on your grass and landscape design. While DIY yard work can sometimes be great (though DIY landscape design can also go wrong and hurt curb appeal), summer lawn care services are the most efficient way to ensure your front and back yards stay looking their best all season.
One of the biggest summer lawn care mistakes homeowners make is cutting the grass too short. You might think this will lead to you having to cut the grass less often, but really you’re opening your grass to scorching in the hot summer sun. The same goes for watering your lawn and landscaping. During the summer, you should water your yard and plants in the early morning or evening to avoid the heat of the day. Not only can it lead to too much evaporation before the root systems can soak up the water they need, but it can also damage leaf tissue leaving it open to disease or killing it altogether.
What about landscaping ideas to boost curb appeal? Spring and summer are the perfect times for new landscaping projects to make your lawn look its best and increase home value. Whether it’s a new patio installation, looking at outdoor fire pit ideas, or adding a water feature installation, these seasons are ideal for all those ways landscape design can transform your backyard. Don’t neglect the front yard! Landscaping around trees, front yard landscaping with rocks, and other lawn care services can make your home the best looking one on the block.
Fall Cleanup and Lawn Care
Year round lawn maintenance means it doesn’t stop when summer is over! Part of taking care of your lawn year round means not neglecting the benefits of fall cleanup in your annual routine. It helps prepare and protect your yard for the winter months ahead. With a little bit of preparation, you can set your lawn up to be lush and beautiful when spring rolls back around.
In hardiness zones where cool grasses thrive, fall is another optimal time for overseeding your lawn to fix any bare or thinning spots. Be sure to keep the leaves raked and remove them from your yard to allow the seeds to germinate properly before the first frost of winter sets in. Keeping your lawn clear of leaves is also helpful for avoiding snow mold during the winter months ahead and preparing your lawn to be healthy and lush next spring.
In cooler regions, fall cleanup services will also prune back any trees and shrubs that need to be trimmed up. Not only can trimming back trees while they’re dormant (after the leaves have fallen but before the cold of weather sets in) keep you from losing any spring blooms, but it can also help prevent limb breakage under the weight of snow and ice during winter. In addition to taking care of the trees themselves, turning over mulch or adding mulch in fall to your landscaping can also help with preparing your lawn for winter.
Pro Tip: Wondering “do I need landscaping fall cleanup before winter? If you live in Colonie, Saratoga, and the Capital Region then chances are you do!
Winter Lawn Care and Protection
When you’re learning how to take care of your lawn year round you might be wondering how winter comes into play. If you’ve had a mild fall or late winter start in your area, making sure you get one last cut in before frost or snow hits is crucial. Make sure you remove any lingering leaves from your lawn to avoid snow mold and protect your grass from being smothered during the cold months ahead.
During frosts and snowy seasons, you should try to stay off your lawn as much as possible. While we know families love to play in the snow together, building a snowman or having an epic snowball fight, excessive use of your yard while the snow is on the ground can compact the soil and result in damage when spring returns.
Business Tip: With the snow and ice comes increased risks of slips and falls, falling ice, damage to your business, and car accidents. To keep your customers and employees safe this season, consider hiring professionals for commercial snow removal to maintain your business on a regular schedule.
We hope this seasonal guide for how to take care of your lawn year round has given you insight into how to keep your lawn healthy and protected. Year round lawn maintenance doesn’t have to be daunting if you stay on top of it. Finding a lawn maintenance service is popular amongst homeowners to ensure their lawns are well taken care of. If you need help taking care of your lawn year round, we happen to know the best landscape company to make that happen! Contact us and one of our professionals will be in touch.
Want to learn more about how to take care of your lawn year round with tips? Check out these additional resources:
