Step 1: Enjoy this beautiful weather!
The official start of spring is in sight “ March 20th! Now is a great time to get out and about and enjoy the beautiful weather and crisp, blue skies while taking a few simple steps to ensure a healthy, vibrant landscape throughout the season. Such steps include turf preparation, plant pruning and the installation of annuals.
Step 2: Turf Preparation?
Once green growth begins to emerge from the turf, rake up the dead grass throughout your lawn. This will allow the new growth to surface while also providing for better nutrient penetration and water infiltration. Also, wake up your turf by mowing once again, but it is important to do so at the correct height and frequency. It is best to mow St. Augustine grass at a height of four inches to prevent scalping, improve root depth and lessen environmental stress such as drought and insect pressure. In addition, fertilization is necessary to green up and strengthen your turf. Fertilize your lawn using a 4-1-2 ratio fertilizer. This will keep the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium balanced for both soil storage and plant uptake requirements.
Step 3: Plant Pruning
The winter negatively impacts many plants by causing frost and freeze damage. To help the plants recover, prune all dead portions of the plant back to healthy wood (where you can see green). For some plants, this might be to the ground. This will help promote new growth. Make a 45-degree cut just above where the leaf attaches to the stem, which is where the new bud will emerge.
Step 4: Plant Annuals
Now that your turf is greening up, its time to add some color to your plant beds, which can be accomplished by using spring annuals. The best annuals to use in the spring include the following:
