How to prepare your lawn after winter?
How to prepare your lawn after winter?
As winter winds down and spring cleanup approaches, the first thing you should think about is your lawn. Learn how to enjoy healthy, green grass in the upcoming season.
Regenerating your lawn isn't just important for its aesthetics. Like any living organism, grass needs to be cared for to ensure its continued survival. If you step outside and see a stale-looking lawn, full of yellowed, dried-out blades and pools of water, it's a sign it's time to get to work.
Lawn care after winter - first steps
To eliminate this unpleasant sight and give your lawn a healthy, spring-like appearance, first use a rake to comb out the old grass blades and "cut" the soil a few centimeters deep. If your lawn is large, save yourself time and frustration by investing in a NAC scarifier. Its purpose is to clear the soil of old grass, moss, and weeds – so a scarifier will perform excellently after winter, especially if it's an electric or petrol-powered scarifier, rather than one of the push-type models you drive yourself. You also don't have to worry about the precision of your cuts. The machine will ensure they are cut at the right depth and at optimal spacing.
Now it's time for NAC aerator, or perhaps a fork if you prefer traditional, yet tiring, methods. Either way, it's time to aerate the soil by puncturing it. A petrol or electric aerator will do this quickly, efficiently, and properly. However, if you choose a fork, you'll need to insert it into the soil at a right angle and gently move it in all directions, loosening the soil.
If you've waited until April to care for your lawn, it's a good idea to roll it afterwards, using a heavy roller to press the turf into the ground. If the lawn still has standing water, drainage will be necessary, which involves carving out grooves and lining them with pipes to drain the water away.
Grass loss, mowing and finishing touches
After all the preliminary work, the lawn is neatly brushed, but there are probably some patches of bare soil. Rake them up, loosen them, sprinkle with peat or soil, and sow the grass – you'll soon stop noticing the gaps. Once the lawn is tidy, the grass has dried, and the soil temperature has reached at least 5°C, it's time for the first post-winter fertilizer application and a generous watering. The lawn should soon be green again.
Once the blades have grown and the grass has thickened, it's time for the first mowing. Remember where your lawnmower is. If you can't find one, a NAC lawnmower is available in our store at a great price! Don't cut lower than 2,5 cm and no more than once a week. On the other hand, don't get lazy – mowing once every two weeks is the absolute minimum. After mowing, rake the grass; you can only leave any remaining grass if your lawnmower has a mulching function. This processed grass makes a good fertilizer. Finally, trim the edges of the lawn with a spade.
