A spring yard cleanup clears out winter debris, uncovers any damage the cold season left behind, and preps your lawn and landscaping for treatments before the growing season kicks off. It typically means raking, debris removal, aeration, and fertilizing, and it’s best tackled as soon as the snow and ice have cleared for good.

What to Know About Spring Yard Cleanup

• A spring yard cleanup means clearing out winter debris, checking for damage, and getting your lawn ready before fertilizer or crabgrass treatments go down.
• Leftover leaves and branches aren’t just an eyesore, they’re a slipping hazard and can hide holes or dips in the yard.
• A deep raking often uncovers snow mold, erosion, or winter-killed patches that need reseeding.
• Cleanup should happen before you fertilize or apply weed control, since treatments only work well when your lawn’s clear and accessible.

Spring cleanup, of course, lends itself to mean the actual removal of debris but also means taking a hard look at your lawn to see what damage was done over winter, what steps need to be taken to prepare for the year ahead, and making a plan for any changes. Here’s what to know about cleanup, a spring cleanup checklist, and why it’s beneficial for your lawn.

What Is a Spring Yard Cleanup?

Spring cleaning is not limited to simply working inside your home! Spring yard cleanup is essential to have that lush lawn and enhanced curb appeal you desire for the year. Homeowners who’d rather leave the labor to someone else can turn to our Spring Cleanup service, which covers this entire process from debris removal through treatment prep.

How Do I Prepare My Garden for a Spring Cleanup?

Preparing your garden for a spring cleanup starts with a full walkthrough of your property to see what winter left behind before you pick up a rake or call in help.

• Walk your beds and lawn looking for matted leaves, broken branches, and any spots where snow mold or standing water may have damaged the grass.
• Clear out dead annuals and cut back perennials left standing over winter, since old growth can harbor pests and disease if it’s not removed before new growth starts.
• This is also a good time to check garden beds for heaving, where freeze-thaw cycles have pushed plants or mulch out of place, and to reset borders and edging.

Then you’ll be ready to prepare your lawn for spring with the full checklist below.

Spring Yard Cleanup Checklist

Indeed, a spring cleanup of your yard is essential to show what damage may have already been done and what needs replacing, but what about getting a jumpstart on things yet to come?

A clean yard space will give your fertilizers and weed control methods access to their destinations. This will promote healthy growth for your landscaping and yard while curtailing crabgrass growth before it gets unruly. Prior to spring yard treatment, however, consider aerating your lawn to encourage better root development and promote better water dispersement and air to the soil. Aerating your lawn will also help decompact soil.

Print out this checklist below as you prepare for spring yard cleanup, and make sure you’ve got the right tools for spring cleanup on hand before you start!

• Check for early pest activity, such as grubs
• Do a deep raking of your yard
• Clear your yard and landscaping of any debris collected over the winter months
• Level your yard and fill in any holes that you may have uncovered
• Aerate your yard prior to spring treatments
• Fertilize and use pre-emergent crabgrass control
• Examine areas that need work (seeding, pruning, etc.)
• Inspect your irrigation system for winter damage

Why a Spring Cleanup Is Important

A thorough spring lawn cleanup protects your lawn’s health, keeps your yard safe, and sets up every treatment that follows for success. Here’s a closer look at each reason.

1. Aesthetically Pleasing

Photo Credit: Flynnside Out Productions

Perhaps this is the most obvious reason why spring yard cleanup is essential, but it stands that a tidy yard is a visually pleasing yard! Removing debris accumulated from the winter months, the litter left by passing litterbugs, pet waste, and pruning back branches deadened over the winter will set your lawn up to be bright and shiny for the spring and summer seasons. Have some annuals that need removing? Spring is an excellent time to take a look at your flower beds and relocate plants to even out spacing in the garden.

It is also an ideal time to make a list of what you need to fill out bare spots.

2. Improve Yard Safety

Another seemingly obvious reason for spring yard cleanup that you need to consider is overall safety. Have fallen leaves across your lawn? Is your hardscaping littered with branches? April showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring wet leaves–a dangerous slipping hazard. A yard full of leaves can also hide dips and holes that could cause falls or injuries. Spring cleanup is key in protecting anyone who will be on the property, including beloved pets and possible wildlife!

3. Unveil Winter Damage and Needed Maintenance

Photo Credit: M. Grabowski, UMN Extension

Even if you raked leaves consistently in the fall, there will be an inevitable layer of fallen leaves and debris come March. By raking leaves in the fall you tried to help prevent “snow mold,” a fungal disease that can massacre your lawn, but now that spring has sprung, a deep raking is necessary once more.

Why, you ask?

A deep raking of your lawn will clear remaining leaves and help control the build up of thatch. Once your yard is cleaned up, it is time to take a step back and see what you are working with. Is there snow mold damage? 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 will let you see 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.

Early spring is an optimal time for seeding the cool season types of grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue, commonly found in the Northeast. It may seem like a lot of work, but putting in the work now will set you up for an easier time when you go to add to and maintain your yard and landscaping this year!

4. Increase Effectiveness of Fertilizer and Weed Control

Photo Credit: waferboard/Flickr

A clear, debris-free lawn lets fertilizer and weed control treatments actually reach the soil and grass they’re meant to protect, instead of getting blocked by leftover leaves or thatch. That’s what makes a spring cleanup such a valuable first step before you put down any treatment for the season.

There you have it! Now you see why spring yard cleanup is essential to preparing your property for the coming year. A little hard work now and your yard will be the envy of all the neighbors! Have you checked any of these items off the list?

Let Our Team Handle Your Spring Cleanup

Spring sneaks up faster than you expect! NVS Landscapes offers a number of landscaping services across Albany, Saratoga, and Schenectady County. Contact us using the form below if you’re interested in a quote, or give us a call: 518-869-LAWN

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FAQs About Spring Yard Cleanup

Getting a yard ready for spring brings up a few of the same questions every year, whether it’s your first cleanup or your fifteenth. Here’s what homeowners in the Capital Region ask us most, from cost to timing to what’s actually included.

How much does a spring yard cleanup cost?

The cost of a spring yard cleanup depends on the size of your property and how much debris and damage built up over winter. Larger properties or yards with heavy winter debris typically cost more, while a quick maintenance cleanup on a smaller lot costs less. Our team can give you an accurate estimate after a quick walkthrough of your yard.

When should I start my spring yard cleanup?

The right time to start your spring yard cleanup lines up with when to start spring lawn care in general, which is usually as soon as the ground’s thawed and the snow’s melted, typically early to mid-spring in the Capital Region, though it shifts a bit year to year.

What’s included in a professional spring cleanup?

A professional spring cleanup typically includes raking and debris removal, aeration, fertilization, and an inspection of your lawn for winter damage, so your yard’s ready for the season without you having to handle it all yourself.