Preparing Your Lawn for Spring Showers

Refreshing your lawn and flower beds for spring is the perfect way to get fresh air, light exercise and soak up some sunshine. Not to mention that tending to your yard helps prevent flooding from spring showers and sets your lawn on its way to season-long success.

Below is a list of some of our favorite lawn care tips that, when done correctly, will allow your lawn to properly absorb water throughout the spring season, minimizing runoff and residential flooding:

• Dethatch – Spring raking is also done primarily to remove thatch that is deeper than ½ inch. Thatch is the layer of dead turfgrass from the previous year. If this layer becomes too thick, it can be bad for the health of your grass. Thatch creates a barrier, stopping your grass roots from getting the water, air and nutrients they need.
• Overseed – If winter left your lawn with bare patches, you need to overseed. Overseeding is the process of sowing seed over existing grass. This simple process will return your lawn to its former, lush glory. It’s possible to apply seed only to the visible bare patches, but it is also quite common to overseed the entire lawn to ensure that the lawn remains thick and healthy. While fall is the preferred time to do your overseeding, if your grass is in dire need of help, you should overseed in the spring.
• Fertilize – Once your lawn is starting to come back to life, apply fertilizer. This will help your lawn last throughout spring and into the heat of summer.
• Establish a Watering Schedule – Whether you use a sprinkler system or a hose, lawns perform best with an inch of water each week, usually split between two watering days. Keep in mind that moist soil absorbs water much faster than dry, cracked soil. This is extremely important for your yard’s ability to handle flash floods and spring showers.

Maintaining your lawn can seem daunting but taking lawn care one step at a time can set you on a green path.

For more tips on how to care for a North Texas lawn, check out this article from the State Fair of Texas.

As always, we encourage you to follow along with IFCD 3 on Facebook and Twitter. We routinely share weather-related announcements and season recommendations!