10 Tips for Spring and Summer Lawn Care
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The birds are chirping, the trees are budding and your lawn is greening up nicely. Is it time to get your lawn care started?
Here at Greenworks, we're always thinking about lawns! Our experts put together a quick reference guide to help you get your yard in tip-top shape for the warm months ahead. Jump to the one you're interested in, or start from the top and check each one off your To Do list. Let's get started!
10 Lawn Care Hacks for a Better Yard
1. Set a Spring and Summer Lawn Care Schedule 2. Prep Your Lawn Care Fleet 3. Maintenance Check 4. Sharpen Your Mower Blades 5. Decide to Mulch or Bag Grass Clippings 6. Don't Mow Too Low 7. Blow Away Leaves and Winter Debris 8. Freshen Up Your Flower Beds 9. Prune Tree Limbs 10. Pressure Wash Your Surrounding Spaces Get Set for Spring and Summer with Greenworks
1. Set a Spring and Summer Lawn Care Schedule
It's never too early to start thinking about your lawn! Now that the warm weather has arrived, let's create a spring and summer lawn care schedule.
If you're a homeowner who likes to fertilize your lawn to help keep weeds at bay, early spring is typically a good time to apply the first round of fertilizer. Starting your lawn care early helps it grow thick, lush, and ready to mow.
Speaking of mowing, hold off on that first mow until your lawn is truly ready and at least a few inches high. Cutting too early—or when the temperatures keep dipping back into near-freezing—can do more harm than good.
2. Prep Your Lawn Care Fleet
As soon as that last winter thaw is finished and the freezing temperatures are in the rearview mirror, it's time to reintroduce your lawn care arsenal to the sunshine. Get out of hibernation mode by checking to make sure your batteries are charged and ready to go; wipe down any residual cobwebs or debris on your equipment and get excited -- it's finally mowing season again!
Begin prepping your yard for the first mowing by cleaning up branches that have fallen during winter storms and using your leaf blower to clear leftover debris off of rocks and flower beds.
3. Maintenance Check
If you have a battery-powered lawn mower like Greenworks, you'll simply need to charge your batteries to prep for spring!
However, if you're still using a gas-guzzling lawn mower, you'll need to schedule a tune-up or change your mower's oil, air filter and spark plug yourself. And don't forget that extra trip to the gas station to fuel up for the mowing season.
Pro tip: Want to learn more? Compare the two in our deep dive into gas versus electric lawn mowers.
4. Sharpen Your Mower Blades
There's nothing like a freshly cut lawn—and to help you achieve that every mow, make sure your mower blades are sharp. Dull blades can cause your lawn to look uneven and can even affect its overall health.
Check out our step-by-step How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades guide for more details on how to make sure your mower blades are razor-sharp and ready for a productive season ahead.
5. Decide to Mulch or Bag Grass Clippings
It's a great idea to turn on mulch mode when cutting the lawn for those first few spring mowings. Benefits of mulching include:
- Putting nutrients back into your soil
- Retaining moisture so you don't have to water your lawn as frequently
- Eliminating the extra step of bagging
- Minimizing waste that goes into landfill
Many Greenworks lawn and riding mowers have mulch and bagging options— check your owner's manual to learn more!
6. Don't Mow Too Low
It turns out that cutting height really does matter. Cut too high and it barely looks like your lawn has been mowed; cut too low, and your poor lawn gets an unintended buzz cut. Closely shorn grass dries out the lawn and can take weeks to recover.
Battery-powered mowers like Greenworks offer up to seven cut settings to ensure a perfect cut, every time. A good rule of thumb is to avoid cutting shorter than a third of the total length of grass at a time. Taller grass is better for a healthy lawn -- it grows deeper roots and can even crowd out weeds.
7. Blow Away Leaves and Winter Debris
You're going to love this one -- it's so satisfying! Get suited up with your leaf blower and blow away any last reminders of winter.
Leaf blowers are super effective for clearing leaves, blasting away grass clippings and removing wintery debris from swingsets and patio furniture. But did you know that you can also use a leaf blower to clean out your gutters? Use our handy Universal Gutter Cleaning Kit to clear those gutters out so they flow freely during spring and summer rainstorms.
8. Freshen Up Your Flower Beds
Before your flower beds come alive with fresh blooms, they need a little TLC. Use a cordless cultivator/tiller to churn up last season's soil -- we highly recommend our bestselling Greenworks 40V 10" Cordless Cultivator/Tiller to get the job done.
Once you've churned up the dirt, it's time to plant. Check your local farmer's almanac to determine the best time to plant your spring flowers and then head to your local nursery to pick out this year's blooms.
9. Trim Back Bushes + Prune Tree Limbs
Winter can be extra tough on trees and bushes. The brutal combination of snow, winds and below-freezing temperatures can cause tree limbs to crack off -- leaving a big mess to clean up in the spring.
While it might feel daunting to fire up the chainsaw and get to work assessing any potential storm damage, with Greenworks electric chainsaws, you simply push the start button and you're in business. No priming, no pumping, no pulling our your shoulder trying to start a gas chainsaw.
If you're looking to spruce up smaller jobs around the yard, check out our Pruner Saw— it might be just the tool you're looking for!
10. Pressure Wash Your Surrounding Spaces
Looking for a surefire way to help your yard pop this spring? Pressure wash those surrounding spaces! Front porch, back deck, sidewalk and even your siding -- blast off that winter grime to make room for the summer sparkle.
If you're looking for a pressure washer to get the job done, check out the robust Greenworks pressure washer lineup. You'll love the portable power, nozzles for every job and a range of PSIs to fit every need.
Get Ready for Spring and Summer with Greenworks
With a little bit of planning and effort, your yard will be trimmed and ready to enjoy for the warm months ahead. Your family -- and your lawn! -- will thank you for a job well done!
Written by The Green Team, a creative arm within Greenworks Tools.
Our team of writers, designers and content creators bring a breadth of experience and a touch of fun to all things tools. With an assist from the Greenworks product teams and technology experts, we’re here to provide helpful and engaging content to make your yard (and life!) beautiful.
