With warm weather comes the question of what outside chore should be completed first. The answer usually depends on which part of the yard is dry.
Stay out of the garden and off the lawn until the soil is dry.
Walking on or working on a wet lawn compacts the soil and injures the grass by tearing the crowns.
When the soil is dry cut back the tops of old perennial plants and remove any annuals that were left in the ground last fall. Remove all weeds as they appear.
Herbaceous top growth could be left in the bed to decompose but it is unsightly and can harbor insects and diseases.
It is best removed and placed in the compost pile and reapplied to the garden as compost.
Removing the top growth makes it much easier to see plants as they are emerging.
A thin layer of compost can be applied to the flowerbeds once they are clean.
Remove all litter from the lawn. Raking lawns buy hand or mechanically encourages new growth and helps I become green faster.
A fan rake removes the minimal amount of old growth or thatch but catches all the leaves and litter. This method works well for a thin lawn but not one with a heavy thatch.
A garden rake will remove more of the old growth but is very labour intensive.
It works well for small areas but is very time consuming for larger ones.
Placing a roto-rake bar on the lawn mower will turn it into a dethatcher. As the bar turns the springs come in contact with the ground removing the old thatch.
Commercial lawn maintenance companies use a separate machine to dethatch their lawns.
Often it consists of a motor driven brush with hard bristles.
The brush sweeps dead grass or thatch from the lawn as it passes over.
With any dethatching method, the more times across the lawn, the more thatch is removed. Healthy lawns should contain approximately ½ inch (1 cm) of thatch.
The thatch keeps the roots at a constant temperature, holds in moisture and provides some nutrients as it breaks down.
Lawns with areas of heavy traffic most often have compacted soil making it hard for plants to grow. To test the soil, stick a screwdriver into the turf.
If it enters easily, the soil structure is good. Areas that are hard to penetrate need to be aerated; have holes poked into the surface.
To aerate use a machine that removes plugs of soil a opposed to just poking holes in the lawn.
Once the plugs are removed the soil will shift slightly, filling in the holes.
As a result the soil will be looser allowing roots, and moisture to penetrate easily.
A better root system increases the plants ability to obtain nutrients resulting in a better lawn with less fertilizer.
Plugs can be left on the lawn to break down or they can be gathered and placed in the compost.
Aerators or sweepers are readily available for rent. If possible book ahead as others will also want to use the equipment.
Insure the equipment is clean before entering the yard as dirty lawn equipment can carry dew worms and fairy ring from one lawn to the next.
For those without time or means to transport equipment, there are numerous companies around that are eager for more business. Ask around to see which one other’s recommend.
Spring might have finally arrived. I the rush to get caught up with the yard work do not compromise the soil structure by working in the yard before the soil is dry.
Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist that lives near Rocky Mountain House. She can be reached at www.igardencanada.com or your_garden@hotmail.com