Spring is here in Idaho, now the lawn needs some love.

Once spring arrives in the Treasure Valley and we all start to spend more time outdoors one of the first items on our list to get the yard back in shape is to get that lawn looking good again. Lawncare.org has some fantastic tips to help with the job!

Don’t Start Too Early

It can be tempting to get out the lawn tools and attack your yard just as soon as it is warm enough to go outside without a coat on. Be patient, though, and let your lawn wake itself up gradually. If you spend too much time on your lawn before it is fully green, you run the risk of compacting the grass or killing new shoots before they have a chance to mature. Wait until your lawn has turned mostly green before you begin mowing or aerating in the spring.

Begin with Raking

Raking your lawn is probably how you finished working in the yard late last fall. In the spring it is a good idea to begin everything with that same rake. Give your yard a thorough, deep raking before you begin to mow or treat the grass.

Raking allows you to pull up any thatch that may have accumulated over the winter when the grass was less springy. It also gives you a chance to find any dead spots or compacted areas that need special attention. When a lawn becomes compacted, you need to use an aerator to loosen the soil and allow the grass to grow more easily once more

Fertilizing in the Spring

If you properly fertilized your lawn in the fall, there may be no need to apply another layer of fertilizer in the spring. Cool season grasses in particular are good at holding on to fertilizer from the fall and using it all winter.

There is a good chance that your cool season grass is still utilizing the fertilizer from the fall throughout the spring and into the summer. Warm season grasses may need a fresh layer of fertilizer during the spring because they begin to soak up the nutrients as soon as the weather gets warmer. Your local Zamzows has a lawn care program that will also walk you through the process, provide free advice, and even lend you a spreader to apply the treatments. Zamzows is a family-owned and operated business founded in Boise back in 1933, they know Idaho's lawns better than anyone.

Dealing with Weeds

If you know that your lawn is prone to weeds, early spring can be one of the best times to apply herbicides to prevent the weeds from developing. It is much easier to get rid of persistent weeds before they have a chance to form than to deal with them once they have fully matured. Getting rid of weeds is another aspect of lawn care that is most effective if it is done in the fall.

If you treat your lawn for weeds in the late fall, you will probably not have as many to deal with in the spring. A light application of pre-emergent weed killer in the spring should take care of any of the weeds that survived your fall treatment. Don’t overdo the spring weed killer, however, or you may damage the new grass that is starting to grow.