KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – PERK UP YOUR LAWN THIS SPRING
KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – PERK UP YOUR LAWN THIS SPRING
First rake all the old dead grass up. This is also a good time to augment the soil. Throw down a couple of bags of top soil mixed with a bag of manure compost. If you have clayey soil as most of the soil in and around Chicago area is throw in a bag of play sand. Spread this mixture over the lawn. Use the back of a rake to spread the mixture around. If you see the grass peeking through it should be spread enough. This mixture will really give the grass a shot in the arm. It will be growing and greening up before you know it.
Plant grass seed now while it is still relatively cool. Tease up the soil to loosen for better root growth. Add a half inch or so of the soil mixture from above. Spread the grass seed rather thickly as the birds love grass seed. It will get a good start before the heat of summer. Proper watering will give you deep roots. Water the seed every day till it germinates and reaches an inch or so usually7-14 days then thoroughly once a week. Put out an empty can and water until the level reaches one inch.
Manure is also a good addition to the garden soil at this time of year. With our small gardens in the Chicago area we are not always able to rotate our crops properly. We need to add nutrients to the soil so our plants can thrive. Manure goes down at a rate of 25 lbs per 100 square feet of soil.
This is also a good time to clean out the mulch around trees and bushes. Leave the old mulch down. Just make sure to clean out any sticks garbage or other debris. Throw new mulch on top of the old. The old mulch will break down and add nutrients to the soil.
Wait until all the bushes and trees are done flowering to prune. With bushes basically cut out any large over grown branches in the center then gently shape. Remember less is more!
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO
