It’s easy to be envious of the bright green lawns you see around your neighborhood. Healthy lawns don’t just look good—they beckon as the perfect place to hang out during warm weather. If you’re looking to put a little TLC into your yard, early spring is the ideal time to start.
We talked to Andre Thompson, fertilizer and seed merchant at The Home Depot to learn what should be on our to-do list to keep weeds at bay and grass growing strong. “Your lawn is a living organism that needs food. All of the other elements, like when to weed, are dependent on the condition of your lawn.” Here is a six-step guide to get the ball rolling (or the grass growing) for a nice yard this year.
If you’re eager to get started, keep in mind these additional tips from Andre:
- Read the directions on the treatments you’re using. For example, a bag may say to set your spreader on setting three. Someone may think “I really want to get my grass green so I’m going to set it to six.” That will overdo it and burn out the yard.
- Mow the yard first and fertilize after to make sure the fertilizer sticks to the weeds. If you weed first and then mow, you risk blowing your fertilizer off the weeds.
- When spreading pre-emergent, apply to a dry lawn so that it can get past the grass and into the soil to create the barrier.
- When you weed and feed, apply the treatment to a wet lawn, so that elements (like the wind) don’t remove it before it has the chance to have an impact.
