Looking to Kick-Start the Season with a Spring-Ready Lawn? Here's How.

A well-manicured lawn is a focal point of your property. By investing time into lawn care and maintenance, you're giving your lawn the attention it needs to grow green and healthy. Learn how to take care of your lawn with five easy-to-follow steps in this spring lawn care guide.

Spring Lawn Care Step 1: Raking

Raking leaves and soil can help establish the base for a lush and healthy lawn. While a freshly raked lawn looks neat and tidy, there are benefits to keeping the leaves in place.

Raking Leaves

Leaf rakes come in a variety of types. As a rule, plastic leaf rakes are lighter and easier to use. They are great for raking lighter weight materials. Metal leaf rakes are generally more durable but are also heavier. They are great for tougher raking jobs. Do your research and choose the type that best suits you and your lawn.

To get the most use of the leaves littering your lawn, consider raking and using them as mulch or adding them to your compost pile. For easy application, pulverize leaves with your lawn mower. You can then spread the leaf mulch over your yard to help incorporate it back into the soil.

A good mulch properly applied can:

Help prevent weeds
Keep soil from drying out
Decrease risk of erosion
Provide shelter for beneficial organisms
Provide a polished finish to your garden beds
Compost into nutrients for healthier soil if left to winter in place

Raking Soil

Before planting lawn seed, it's a good idea to prepare the soil. If your lawn isn't too large, you can do so with a simple garden rake. Unlike a leaf rake, a garden rake features short, rigid metal tines for moving heavier soil. To ready your spring lawn for planting, consider the steps below.

Plan ahead. Three weeks before you want to sow the seeds:

Use a spade to turn over the top 12 inches of soil
Break up large chunks of earth with the rake
Remove any large rocks, sticks and debris

After three weeks pass:

Rake the soil so that the surface of the plot is smooth and level

NOTE: It's a good idea to start in the corner and work your way across. The soil will loosen, making it easier for seeds to germinate and grow.

Step 2: Aeration

Aeration is a vital part of spring lawn care. Over time, soil may become compacted. This can create thatch, a thin layer of dead and decomposing grass between growing soil. Excess lawn thatch or debris buried beneath the grass prevents air, water and nutrients from getting to the roots. Aeration helps to remedy this. An aerator makes small holes in the lawn and loosens the soil beneath, allowing air, water and nutrients to reach the roots.

Choose between a spike aerator and a core aerator. A spike aerator punches holes in the lawn and is ideal for smaller yards. A core (or plug) aerator removes grass and soil plugs from the lawn. It's a good choice for larger areas.

Should You Aerate?

Consider aerating your lawn if:

It is thin and brown, dries out easily or has a spongy feel
You have difficult growing healthy grass
Heavy foot traffic from kids and pets is common
New construction or construction traffic that has stripped or compacted the grass and soil

When to Aerate

The best time of year to aerate is during the growing season. Aerating your lawn in spring will help create a fuller and thicker lawn, so you can enjoy a lush lawn throughout the summer.

NOTE: It's also great to aerate your lawn in the fall as it helps to prepare it for the winter.

Aerating Tips:

Water your lawn thoroughly a day or two before aerating
Flag areas to identify objects in the way (such as tree stumps)
Aerate in one direction and then go back over it
Make multiple passes on areas that are very compacted
Leave soil plugs to dry and then break them up as needed

Step 3: Lawn Seeding

The next step is spring lawn seeding. For optimal results, proper seeding begins with the best grass seed for your desired look and climate.

Choosing the Right Lawn Seed

A good quality grass seed will yield better results. If you are planting a new lawn in spring, aim for mid-April to mid-May as soon as the soil is dry.

Follow these spring lawn care steps for seeding:

For an existing lawn, determine what type of grass you currently have. For a new lawn, make sure to pick lawn seed suitable for the region.
Estimate how much seed you will need for your lawn size. Coverage rates vary by type.
Read seed labels for care requirements such as light tolerance, hardiness and resistance to drought. Do you require seed for sun, shade or high-traffic areas?
Don't skimp when seeding and spread seed evenly with a seed spreader.
Sow half the seed from one end of your lawn to the other, and the other half in the opposite direction.
Cover the seed with a thin layer of soil.
Water frequently. Water daily until grass reaches mow-able height or at least 2 inches.

Overseeding for a Lush Lawn

If your lawn looks thin and brown, overseeding can help to restore its lush look. Over time, your lawn can get worn out and develop weeds. Overseeding helps fill it out in a quick and cost-effective way.

To overseed your lawn:

Mow the lawn low, rake it and remove any clippings and debris
Select the right seeding product for the job
Spread seed with a seed spreader according to label-recommended overseeding rates
For small areas, you can hand seed (you can always add a starter fertilizer at this stage to bring nutrients to new grass)
Keep the newly seeded lawn well-watered for the next few weeks to encourage deep, healthy roots
Light watering once or twice a day is recommended to start

GOOD TO KNOW: Overseeding helps to prevent thinning, so it's a great step even if your lawn is already green!

Step 4: Fertilizing Your Lawn

Fertilizing your lawn helps to keep it healthy, green and lush. It's an important step in spring lawn care.

Choosing the Right Lawn Fertilizer

Lawn fertilizers are identified by the N-P-K numbers on the bag. The letters stand for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). They represent the percentage (by weight) of each of the nutrients in the fertilizer. In general:

Nitrogen helps plants grow and green up
Phosphorus stimulates deep root development
Potassium provides disease/drought resistance and promotes overall health

Make sure to research and choose the right combination for your lawn. Factors to consider include sunlight exposure and climate.

GOOD TO KNOW! There are different kinds of fertilizers, including slow release and fast release. They vary in price and frequency of application.

How to Fertilize for Best Results

Applying lawn fertilizer is quick and easy. Read and carefully follow the instructions on the fertilizer package. Check for the recommended spreader setting and the recommended amount required for your yard size. It's important to never use more than instructed.

A lawn spreader lets you fertilize your lawn evenly for consistent colour. Choose the right spreader based on the size of your lawn:

A broadcast or rotary spreader is easy to use and great for larger lawns
A drop spreader is ideal for smaller areas as it provides controlled distribution
A handheld spreader works well for small lawns or sections of a lawn that require different types of fertilizer

Steps for Applying Lawn Fertilizer:

Water the lawn a few days prior to applying fertilizer
Make sure grass is dry before applying
Spread fertilizer around the perimeter of the lawn first
Then move back and forth in straight lines, filling in the middle of the lawn in an orderly pattern
After fertilizing, apply water and stay off the lawn to let it settle

TIP: Slightly overlap on each pass to ensure you cover the whole lawn.

Step 5: Watering for a Healthy Lawn

Watering is a critical part of spring lawn maintenance. While it's listed here as step five, it's an important step throughout the staging of early spring lawn care.

When to Water

Follow these guidelines for watering your spring lawn. Always check the product directions as they will advise if and how often watering is needed.

Aerating: It's a good idea to thoroughly water your lawn a day before aerating, or time it for after it rains.

Seeding: Water a newly seeded lawn lightly and frequently for at least a week or until grass reaches mow-able height of at least two inches. Keep seed moist but don't saturate it. Cut back to watering once a day when grass reaches about two inches tall.

Fertilizing: Water the lawn a day or two before fertilizing. Fertilize once the lawn is dry then lightly water again.

Maintenance: It's important to water your established lawn. Consider the type of grass and climate to determine how much is required. It's best to water in the morning when water is absorbed most effectively. Established lawns are hardier and won't require as much water as newly seeded lawns.

Sprinklers

Consider the different types of sprinklers, from oscillating, rotary and impact sprinklers to inground sprinklers and sprinkler hoses. What is best for your lawn size and shape? Do you want a temporary or more permanent solution? Do you want to control it with a timer?

When learning how to take care of your lawn in the spring, everything from raking to watering makes a difference. With the right products and a little time, you'll have your existing lawn looking lush or your new lawn seeded and ready to grow to its greenest in no time.