Making A House A Home

Now that spring is here, it's time to start giving your lawn some much-needed tender loving care. Your lawn has been lying dormant all winter long. It's going to need some extra attention to bring it back to life. That's where proper lawn fertilizer comes into the picture. Here are three tips that will make sure your lawn receives the nutrients it needs to get healthy, and stay healthy, this spring.

Always Water Your Lawn First

When it comes to fertilizing your lawn, you should always water the area first. Saturating the soil with water will help ensure proper penetration of the fertilizer. You want the soil to be wet but not soggy, so it's best to water your lawn the day before you apply the fertilizer. If you're under drought management conditions, be sure to choose a day when watering is acceptable. Water your lawn early in the morning so that the water has enough time to soak into the soil. That way, when you get up the next morning, your lawn will be ready for the application of fertilizer.

Keep the Clippings in Place

If you have a grass catcher on your lawn mower, you need to take it off. The nutrients contained in the clippings will provide an excellent source of natural fertilizer for your lawn. After you mow your lawn, go ahead and leave the clippings in place to form a layer of thatch. To maximize the benefits of the thatch, choose either a mulching mower for your lawn or change the blades on your current mower. Most lawn mower manufacturers offer mulching blades that can be installed. The mulching blades cut lawn clippings into smaller pieces that allows nutrients to soak into the lawn easier.

Let Your Lawn Breathe

Once you've mowed the lawn and left the thatch in place, you'll need to aerate the soil. Placing holes in your soil will help get water and fertilizer down to the roots. When soil is too tightly packed, your lawn can suffer. That's because water and fertilizer tends to stay on the surface instead of soaking through to where it can do that most good. You can purchase a hand-held aeration tool at your local home improvement store. You can also rent a motorized aerating machine from a tool supply company. The motorized aerators will make quick work of the process.

It's time to wake your lawn up for spring. Using the tips described above, you can have a beautiful lawn all season long.