The transition from winter to spring can be rough, but your lawn doesn’t have to be. This process requires a few tools, but they will come in handy season after season. To ensure your lawn is prepped for the summer, complete these steps as soon as the spring season hits!
What you’ll need to prepare the lawn for summer:
- A thatcher
- An aerator
- Fertilizer (a starter fertilizer if your lawn is new)
- Fertilizer spreader
- Sand (we used tube sand)
- Grass seed
- Spot shaker
- Observe what your lawn looks like. If there are a lot of fallen leaves, pinecones, or dead grass clippings, those are nitrogen-based products that won’t allow the new seeds to sprout. If so, rake your lawn before beginning the next steps.
- Thatch your grass. This is as simple as pulling up all the dead grass and loosening the soil. It might look like you’re beating up the yard, but it’s just getting that dead grass out of there, breaking in some space for the seed to sprout, and creating a little variation so the seed and sand can get underneath the dirt.
- Aerate the soil. This process is very easy and basically creates plugs and gaps in the soil. It gives a place for the roots to breathe, as well as for water to recess and get away from the grass so that it’s not soaking it. It’s as simple as punching the holes into the grass! Pro tip: Be sure to do this step with your entire yard.
- Fertilize your lawn. Be sure to do this before adding the sand and seed because if it is placed on top of the seed, it can risk burning it up. Check the back of the fertilizer bag for instructions on what setting to use based on the device you are spreading it with. Pro tip: If you have a young lawn, always use a starter fertilizer. Don’t get fancy. This won’t burn up your lawn, it’s just going to feed it.
- Add the sand and seed. Mix 1 part seed with 8-10 parts sand and mix thoroughly. The type of sand you use doesn’t matter too much (we used tube sand in our video), you just need something that water can drain through effectively. If you put too much seed in, that’s not a problem; if you put too little seed, the lawn might be a bit patchy, but it’ll still be okay. This step is also where the aerating comes into play. Add the mixture of sand and seed into a spot shaker and use the shaker to toss the mixture into the plugs that you’ve pulled out with the aerator. It’ll give a nice little space for the water to seep through!
It’s hard not to complicate our lawns, however it can thrive with just a little love, food and maintenance. If you follow these steps, you’ll be on track for a beautiful, healthy yard in the summer! To see this process in motion, watch our video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTxqd9ldnY/
