Get Your Lawn Ready for the Spring Gardening Season

The final chills of winter have disappeared here in Central Florida, and homeowners are eagerly preparing to create and plant the perfect gardens. According to the UF Gardening Solution website, March is the perfect time to start planting your frost-sensitive plants; with the mild winter we experienced this year, there’s a good chance you may have even gotten a head start on your planting in late February.

Gardening has taken the world by storm over the last couple of years as people found themselves spending more time in their homes and backyards. If you’re one of those people who caught gardening fever, we’re guessing you want this year’s garden to be even bigger and better than last year’s garden. You’re in luck: keep reading to learn our tips to take your gardening to the next level.

Add Edging to Your Garden Beds

Nothing improves the look of your garden like sleek, well-defined flower beds with clean lines. Depending on the look you’re trying to achieve, you can use something sleek and modern like minimalist metal borders, or you can go for a more traditional decorative look with brick pavers. Before you install metal edging, be sure to double check that you don’t have any sprinkler lines or other pipes and connections that may be damaged lying underneath.

Hit Your Lawn With a Dose of Nutrients

Lawn care experts will tell you that nothing is better weed prevention than a healthy lawn. If your lawn is starving for nutrients, it won’t have the energy it needs to fight off harmful weeds and pests. Make this year the year you give your lawn a pH test and get scientific about your fertilizing schedule and ingredients. When your lawn is healthy and nutrient-rich, it will have the energy it needs to grow thick and block out competing weeds.

Map Out Your Garden Before Planting

‘Tis the season to plant anew! It can be easy to spend your money on all the prettiest colors at your local garden store or nursery, but that becomes a problem when you get home and you’re not quite sure where those plants should go. Before you start selecting your plant species, make a map designating the colors and textures you want in each area. If you’re adding trees to your garden, be sure to give them plenty of space so they are not crowding the rest of your garden when they’re fully matured. You don’t have to be a professional cartographer to make your garden map work for you – just be sure you account for all the plants you need.

Choose Native Plants

Native plants bring a huge variety of benefits to any lawn. First of all, they are already acclimated to your local soil, so they’ll probably require less fertilizer. Secondly, they’re used to the amount of rain you receive in your area, so they need less additional watering to grow strong. Finally, native plants are great for your soil. They help to prevent erosion and build strong root networks deep underground, helping your soil to be more efficient at water storage and distribution. Talk to your local garden center to find out more about the native plants they have available.

Make Sure Your Lawn Equipment is in Good Shape

Finally, it’s important that you give your lawn and gardening equipment a good tune-up before you start mowing and trimming. Sharpen your mower blades and check your mower’s fluids. Set the wheels to the proper height so you don’t scalp your lawn. Get a new reel of string for your string trimmer. With your equipment in proper working order, you’re less likely to cause any damage to your grass, trees, and shrubs.

We’re so excited for this year’s growing season. If you are, too, stop by Gator Mower Parts to get the mower service and accessories you need to help you build the perfect garden. To learn more, call us at 407-260-1292 today.