Spring Gardening Tips & Tools from ShovelandHoe.com - Read about all of your spring gardening essentials here. Watch out gardening demonstration videos and learn how to maximize the spring gardening season.
Spring Gardening Tips: Lawns
Lawn
grasses start to grow early in spring so check your lawn early in
the season to assess health. If your lawn is neglected, a
little effort now will pay dividends in the long run.
Thatch your lawn, if you didn't do it in the autumn, using
either a spring-tined rake or, better still, a purpose made thatcher to remove
all the thatch and other debris that has accumulated over the winter.
If moss is a problem, apply a moss killer as soon as the grass
begins to grow, leave it to work for two weeks, and then thatch to remove it.
Apply a high nitrogen feed in late spring to give your lawn a
good start to the season.
Re seed any bare patches using a suitable grass mixture (for
more information see the information on lawn grasses)
Use a half moon edger to redefine the lawn edge and give a neat
crisp finish - this is one of those jobs that will make an enormous difference
to the appearance of your garden.
For the earliest cuts, mow the grass with your lawn mower blades
on the highest setting - mowing too closely this early in the season is counter
productive and will damage your lawn. More advice on mowing can be found at mowing a lawn.
Spring Gardening Tips: Borders
Spending time on your borders now will get them in great shape for the rest of
the season.
Spring is a great time to find out more about your soil by
carrying out a soil pH test. Whether you are doing it for the first time, or
have been using lime or other soil conditioners to amend your soil, pH testing is
a very easy procedure and will enable you to garden more effectively.
If, like us, you prefer to leave your perennials and grasses
standing throughout winter, you should now remove any dead growth before the new
shoots start growing.
Apply a general fertilizer such as blood, fish and bone, or
pelleted chicken manure.
Weeds are a fact of life in the garden so get on top of the
problem by digging out or hoeing any early weeds.
Give your borders a thick mulch, at least 5cm (2in)
deep, while the soil is still moist. This will conserve moisture, keep down
weeds and generally smarten them up. There is a list of mulches and other soil
conditioners for different types of soil at improving or
amending your soil.
Divide clumps of perennials now if you didn't do it in the
autumn. If you end up with more plants than you need, consider swapping with a
friend or neighbor - this is a great way to get plants for free. How to divide
perennials and the best time
to divide provide more information on this.
