1. Rake Up or Blow Out- Spring is the best time to rake up or blow out any dead foliage from plant material, left over leaves from the previous fall, or debris that had accumulated from a harsh winter. Spring is a time where plant material is just starting to produce new growth, allowing plenty of room to get in there and clean up without damaging the plants.
2. Prune or Cut Back- If you did not prune or cut back your plants in the fall, now is the time. For example, you'll want to cut back your ornamental grasses, making way for new growth. Not only are you helping to promote new growth, you are also preventing dead blades of grass from blowing off into other plant material, creating more work down the road.
3. Weed Control- Once you have cleaned all debris from your beds, it's important to pull any weeds that have begun to sprout. Keep in mind that pulling just the foliage will only delay the weed from pushing through the surface, it will not get rid of the weed. You must thoroughly pick the weed, root and all. Spot treating with a weed killer is also an option, but it is important to keep the sprayer tip low to the ground, preventing any stray herbicide from reaching other plant material.
4. Mulch- Mulch is often mistaken as only serving one purpose, to look good. Mulch not only cleans up the look of your bedding areas but also helps retain moisture in the soil, whereas bedding areas without mulch will tend to dry up much faster. This is not only beneficial for the plants, but also helps to cut back on the amount watering that you need to do.
5. Checking Irrigation- Now is the perfect time to make sure that your irrigation system is working properly. Spring is often a wetter season and therefore irrigation is not always needed. So now is the time to work out the kinks. Even though your system might have worked properly before winterizing, there is always a chance that something might not be working correctly after sitting all winter.
Your landscape can very quickly become overwhelming if you don't keep up on it. These five simple tips can help you manage your beds and help you prepare for the next season. Landscaping is not for everyone and we understand that. So if you'd rather leave it up to the experts, give us a call today at (570)489-0484 and we'll handle it for you!
