Tips for a
By Snoqualmie Ridge ROA
winter, and we can only hope that means summer is just around the corner. While many large communities have landscape services that keep them on track with what needs to happen in order to ensure their landscape looks fresh and vibrant, homeowners and smaller associations often go it alone. Here are some gardening and lawn care tips we’ve picked up from our landscape partners over the years that will help keep your plants, shrubs and lawn thriving.
S Spring Plants & Shrubs Checklist
` Cut back pampas type grasses six inches from soil level and remove any dead interior blades.
` Prune evergreens and shrubs that bloom after June. ` Deadhead rhododendrons and azalea plants. ` Apply granulated fertilizer to promote summer growth. ` Weed beds when soil has softened. ` Apply mulch to maintain moisture and nutrients.
Spring Lawn Checklist ` Foot traffic on wet soil will cause soil compaction
12 Community Associations Journal | April 2023
pring is trying to get out from under another wet and cold
problems. Even worse damage can be caused by walking on lawns where the soil has thawed on top and is still frozen underneath.
` Sharpen your lawn mower blades and change the oil. ` Mow low to remove dead grass tops. This will give newly emerging leaves the sunlight they need to start growing.
` Aerate your lawn if it did not get done in the fall. ` Overseed bare spots. ` Grass seed will start to germinate when soil temperatures reach 50 degrees.
` Apply crabgrass preventer at the end of April. ` Apply a light nitrogen fertilizer application around Memorial Day.
` Wait to water. It is okay to let the grass show signs of drought stress – this will cause the roots to grow deep, searching for water. Deep rooting will prepare your lawn for the hot days of summer.
Green “All-Summer Lawn” 1
GRASS TYPE Whether you are planting a new lawn or over-seeding an existing lawn, choosing the right grass seed is
important. Turf-type perennial ryegrass and fine fescue grow well in our area. In Western Washington, Kentucky bluegrass should not be a large proportion of the seed mix as it tends to thin out.
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