Spring in Orlando is a beautiful time. Well, any time in Orlando is beautiful, but spring is especially cool. With the weather heating up, baseball getting into gear, and festivals and events starting to align, the world gets a little bit busier in the spring. Then, you’ve got to think about your lawn care. If you followed our winter lawn care in Orlando tips, then your lawn is probably in ship shape, or at least getting there. Regardless, spring is game time for lawn care in Central Florida. Whether you live in Orlando, Oviedo, Deltona, or anywhere in Central Florida, follow these spring lawn care tips for a great lawn:
1. Lawn mowing in Orlando
Generally, mowing more frequently is better than less. Especially if you’re fertilizing your lawn, you should be mowing about once a week. You’ll also want to keep the blades a little higher in the spring time. Other than that, you’ll want to follow the same best-lawn-mowing practices that you do year round. Optimize your lawn height for the type of grass you have (some types require different heights for best growth). Keep your blades sharp, because dull blades will tear up your grass plants and leave the lawn looking ragged. Mulch your clippings, because they help recycle nutrients back into your lawn. Finally, make sure you keep a tight schedule. Skip a few weeks now, and the mess that builds up will be MUCH more work.
2. Fertilization
As we said in the winter lawn care article, most Central Florida homeowners should fertilize their lawns 4-5 times per year. This means that as soon as the temperatures start to rise in the late winter/early spring, you can think about fertilization. Basically, fertilization is a way of feeding your lawn the nutrients it needs to be green and awesome. You should do it, at the very least, once or twice per year (spring and fall being crucial). So to start, test your soil’s PH level, and pick out a fertilizer with a proper blend that balances out the acidity/alkalinity of your yard. We recommend using a granular fertilizer, because you don’t have to apply it as often. Also, try using a slow-release product for the same reason. You might want to look into some equipment as well. For smaller lawns a drop spreader will do, but a rotary spreader is best for bigger lawns. Most importantly, be careful and clean up properly. Fertilizer waste can be awful for the environment.
3. Weeding
Weeds are annoying. However, just keeping a healthy lawn is a wonderful way to keep them at bay. If you do have a weed problem, you can take some action in the spring. Mowing high (see above) can keep the weeds at bay, as they don’t flourish in a thick lawn. This will, however, mean more frequent mowing. Also, you’ve got to irrigate the right way. Too little water is bad, and so is too much water. Certain products, known as weed & feed, will simultaneously fertilize and destroy weeds. Finally, if you’ve already got a weed problem, our Kissimmee lawn care providers advise feeding your lawn with a product containing a pre-emergent.
4. Core Aeration & Overseeding
Over time, lawns become compacted due to a variety of factors. This is a problem because it is harder for water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach the roots. This problem can be solved by core aeration, and spring is the perfect time to do it. Core aeration is the process of pulling up plugs of dirt out of your lawn to relieve pressure in the soil. This benefits your lawn in a ton of ways. First, it improves fertilizer uptake (see above about fertilizer). In addition, core aeration strengthens roots, improves resiliency, and enhances heat and drought tolerance. Most importantly, it can take a destitute lawn and make it look great. We recommend you do core aeration once per year. Often people will aerate in the fall, but it’s just about as effective to do so in the spring, sometimes moreso. For this, you’re going to need a core aerator. All good lawn care companies will have one of these. Don’t use spikes, which don’t pull the plugs out. Instead, they make the lawn even more compacted (not good). After aeration is the perfect time to overseed.
Overseeding, also called reseeding, is the when you add more grass seeds to your existing lawns. Many times, Central Floridians will do this in the fall/winter to prevent cold weather from diminishing the sheen of their lawn. However, it can be enormously beneficial to do so in the spring time as well. To overseed, you’ll want to cut your grass a little shorter (2 inches or less). You may want to add soil amendments such as fertilizer, but make sure they don’t contain weed killer or pre-emergent, because this will prevent your plants from germinating. Finally, after overseeding, water more often. Overseed every year until you lawn because lush, green, and amazing.
Hopefully these tips will get you on a head start. However, some folks will still rather spend their time at Universal with their family or out fishing on the many lakes here. If you’re in the Orlando area, head over to our homepage and grab a quote for our services!
Need help tending to your lawn? Visit our Orlando lawn care page for more info! In addition to Orlando, we also provide lawn care service in Kissimmee, Apopka, Oviedo, and Mount Dora.
