Prepping Your Yard for Spring

If you haven't already been pre-treating your landscaping in anticipation of Spring, it's not too late! Here are some tips courtesy of Dr. Robert E. Moon, local Horticulture expert, SMU professor, and advisor to Hillwood Communities.

Control Future and Actively Growing Weeds with Weed Killers

Now is the time to apply pre-emergent weed control to your planting beds and turf. This will help control spring and early summer weeds. There are several weeds unique to our area, so you need to make sure you purchase a weed killer made for Southern Turf (Dr. Moon recommends BioAdvanced Weed Killer for Lawns).

Feed Your Landscaping

Stock up on fertilizer like Scott's Southern Lawn Food to feed your trees, shrubs, ground covers, ornamental grasses, and perennials. To fertilize your trees, apply two pounds of the fertilizer around each tree spread evenly from tree trunk out to the drip line. It's best to water after fertilizing, so either put your irrigation system to work or fertilize right before a good rain.

Freshen Up Your Beds

Before those weeds get out of control, pull out all of the ones already poking through. Then add a double ground, dyed-brown, hardwood mulch to the beds to prevent future weed growth. Dr. Moon recommends maintaining two inches of mulch to provide optimum growing conditions for your plants, to reduce water use, and to make it easer to remove weeds. And he recommends brown mulch because it gives a more natural appearance.

Now is also a great time to prune back any overgrown ground cover and ornamental grasses to encourage new growth.

Apply Fire Ant Control

No one wants to step in a gigantic pile of fire ants, so take action now and treat your whole landscape (turf AND beds) with fire ant control such as Over n Out, Advion, Amdro, Spectracide, or Bayer Fire Ant Control. Apply it at the end of March or beginning of April to give you control over fire ants until the Fall.

Check Your Irrigation System

It's better to make sure your irrigation system is working now before you absolutely need it during those hot months ahead. Turn the system on and check each zone for leaks, missing heads, or clogged heads, or any zones not coming on. If you have any drip irrigation zones, look for broken or cut lines. If everything is in working order, you can turn the irrigation system back off while we're in the Spring rainy season. If repairs are needed, make them now - it will be easier and quicker to find someone to come make the repairs now!