Every fall, I promise myself the same thing…that THIS is the year that I will stick to the vow I made in spring: return and stack all the outdoorsy stuff neatly, repaired, clean, and ready to go again in the order that I will need it on hand. However, winter blows around and freezes that thought with a simple-phrased “I am NOT going out there to shovel in THAT blizzard! Even with the snowblower!”.

Then, when you finally have enough courage to face it, you dig through empty boxes, tossed in last-minute lawn chairs and three or four half-empty lawn fertilizer bags, and tug the cover off old reliable. The mighty blower that has NEVER let you down. Oh good, you shrug. Still a bit more gas in there from last spring’s late storm. That’ll be enough to clear out a swath to the road so you can buy fresh fuel.

Um…no. Not happening. It won’t start. Plugs are tight, Seals around the ignition look clean and dry, cables don’t look rusted or cracked, no leaks from underneath. Or stains thereof. “NO problem”, you mutter to yourself. You’ll just call your service center and have a repair… “NEXT WEEK?”.

Time warp to after next week’s appointment. All it needed was a new plug. Something that could have been done had you only taken half an hour to do some pre-spring maintenance on your blower. Now, let’s apply this to every aspect of spring yardwork and the storage areas for all or your equipment.

I intend to cover the basics with you as we make the ultimate checklist that will make your neighbor’s thumbs green with envy. From season through season, it is time for the motivational mojo to prepare for the new solstice and beyond.


The procrastinator’s guide to green thumb growth.

Nothing gets you motivated more than a clean slate. Be that a desk surface at work, putting away the clean laundry at the end of a long day, a great weekly team meeting or even the self-treated “cheat” day on a diet. For those of us who are committed to a lifestyle of lawn liberation, it is time to D.I.Y. a favor and tackle first things first.

1. Tidy up that toolbox! 

This could be simply starting right from scratch and tossing everything out OR just neatening it up a bit. I generally find a combo of both works perfectly. Get the basics to have on hand in a designated tool bag or box. A toolbox can be something simple but sturdy, a gym bag, metal toolbox, or a plastic tackle box. It comes down to what you can physically handle and what you want to keep you motivated. So…what are we putting in this toolbox? Here is my advice on a few widgets that will be useful in this toolbox

  • A small working light or flashlight or and head band flashlight.
  • A few ratchets, wrenches, and screwdrivers.
  • Allen keys.
  • A hammer or rubber mallet and protective eyewear, gloves, masks.
  • Machine oil.
  • Sharpening file.
  • Engine/gas additive oil.
  • Extra spark plugs, filters
  • A series of phone calls to book equipment tune-ups, oil changes and battery boosts as soon as possible. Don’t forget to call for proper disposal of leftover hazmat’s like half bottles of oils, empty jerry cans, any old equipment batteries, tires, fertilizers and bug sprays/insecticides/pesticides.

++BONUS TIP: TIME WILL GET AWAY FROM YOU WHEN GARDENING SO TAKE AN EXRA FIVE MINUTES NOW AND GIVE YOUR TOOL HANDLES A QUICK DIP IN A GLOW IN THE DARK PAINT. IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO CLEAN UP AFTER A MAINTENANCE SESSION WITHOUT WORRY OF FINDING THAT RATCHET WITH YOUR LAWNMOWER TOMORROW++

The Big Hitting Clean Up Crew

This next section very well may be the best support to all DIY gardeners: the equipment. The stalwart and sturdy Green forces that mangle through weeded tangles and edge the curbs to a polished precision. They are also the pit crew that will leave you cursing a blue streak if they just suddenly decide to stop. Union rules, you know. From first pitch to last wave at the leaving crowds, here is your team roster:

2. From the Ground Up!

If gardening could be accomplished with one tool, our shed and garages would be customed designed to hold and store a Swiss Army Knife that would put Paul Bunyan to shame. Alas, the peril of DIY vs calling in a service…even then, we all need some sort of maintenance tool, right? You should get in the habit of cleaning up the yard and lawn before you begin the hard-core maintenance. Here is a run-down, keeping open minds to options of gas powered, battery operated, corded or operator driven with old fashioned calories.


  • Handheld scissor shears.
  • Pruning scissors.
  • Extendable Pole lopping shears.
  • Fan rake, either metal or sturdy plastic tined.
  • Bow rake, especially handy if working with mulch or any gravelly surface.
  • Edging shovel, flat digging shovel and a pointed spade shovel.
  • Weed Whacker/strimmer, spool threaded or bladed.
  • Hedge trimmer. Choose the proper length for the job.
  • Chain saw or reciprocal saw. Its swell up to you.
  • Mowers. From tri bladed roller mowers, right on through ride on and robotics. The mighty mower is the heart of the team. With close to 20 different types to consider, always remember to purchase what you can handle. Both physically and fiscally.
  • Leaf blower/mulcher/vacuum.

The Fans: Jerry Cans. Extension Cords. Watering Hoses. Sprinklers and Nozzles. Small Battery Charger/Tester.

++BONUS TIP: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OFF- SEASON SALES, DISCOUNTS, AND FINANCING OPTIONS IF PLANNING TO UPGRADE. ALSO, THE LEAF BLOWER IS TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL. INEXPENSIVE SMALLER MODEL CAN BE KEPT ONHAND TO BLOW OUT GARAGE FLOORS, SHED WALLS AN CEILINGS, RAIN GUTTERS, VEHICLE INTERIORS, SMALL AND LARGE ENGINES AND EVEN SCREEN WINDOWS, TENTS AND PATIO DOORS.BE KIND TO THOSE GROUND CREATURES WHO DIDN’T PROCRASTINATE LAST FALL AND USED THE INNER WORKINGS OF A RIDE ON MOWER TO STASH THEIR GROCERIES IN. A FEW PUFFS FROM A LEAF BLOWER AND THEIR CACHE IS REMOVED WITHOUT DAMAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT OR THEM. ALWAYS KEEP MANUALS AND WARRANTIES DATED, BAGGED AND TAGGED IN ONE LOCATION ALONG WITH ANY RECEIPTS AND WORK ORDERS++

Outside Spring Preparedness

Nothing can quash the wind from your sails than a dull, drabby grey spring day than a dull, drabby grey spring day when your lawn and yard haven’t been cleaned from winter’s cruel tortures. This is where the season begins in earnest so let’s talk some trash:

3. Raking the spring awake!

My honest recommendation here is a 50/50 split. An hour or so of general trash collection, followed by stacking of any fallen branches or large twigs and a gentle “comb through” with a fan rake and leaf blower is a super star start. If you’ve lived at your home for any length of time, YOU are the expert here. You know where the trouble spots are, where any excess pooling and ponding occurs, where the vines and poison ivy areas normally lay in silent wait and even where ant hills become termite launch pads.

  • Call in your local professional lawn service center as soon as viably possible and ask for your pre-spring clean-up.
  • Most offer top notch quality lawn trash removal, including those clippings, extra soppy leaves, and dead branches along with the first two or three mowing.
  • Check into an initial pre-weed spray coverage and soil aeration. This normally happens around Memorial Day to allow for proper drying and drainage of early spring thawing.  
  • Fertilizer spreading can begin. Once more, I would leave the first application to a pro service. They can accurately spread the proper PH propagated poop that will combat the alkaline levels left behind by any salt and sand from the winter road maintenance.
  • Thinking about or already own an underground sprinkler system? Check on the timer control, inspect the spray heads for any visual damage and perform a test. Best deals on underground sprinklers can be found at a professional landscaper service center and are among the first lawn care crews to get booked out fast so don’t waste time with this one. If you want one, pre-order NOW!
++BONUS TIP: DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR LAWN, YOU CAN AERATE IT YOUR SELF WITH ROWS OF PITCHFORK PUNCTURES; WARNING SIGNS THAT AERATION MAY BE REQUIRED ARE MOLDY PATCHES AND MOSSY SPOTS.  KEEP IN MIND TO ALSO DO A DECK CHECK, LOOK FOR EXPOSED TREE ROOTS, STONE PATIO UPHEAVAL AND SEWAGE/SEPTIC MAINTENANCE. BROKEN WATER LINES OR OVERFLOWS IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY CAN REALLY PUT A DAMPER ON THE SUMMER. ++


Seeding and Feeding That Require Repeating

After laying dormant all winter, your lawn is HUNGRY. It relies on the basic diet of seeds, water, soil for bulk and of course vitamins, minerals and fertilizers to keep up a lush green appearance while remaining healthy enough to stave off weed attacks and infestations of the creepy crawly variety.

4. Spring Diet.

Start NOW and look your best by June! Makes sense, doesn’t it? We do it. Well, some of us do it. Most of us have good intention but falling off that diet wagon is easier said than putting down the doughnut. Below are some FAQ’s to follow through as a guideline or template for your own planting region.

  • What are the signs of when to begin spring gardening? Typically, my response is right after Labor Day and right on through October/November. With pre-planning as posted above, re-organizing the storage space you’ll be using by putting tools, equipment and maintenance gear away in the correct order of when you need to take them out to use them. For example, you go tent camping knowing you’ll be arriving after dark in the rain, the first thing you’ll put in your trunk is the last thing you’ll need, right? The dry blankets and change of clothes.  Roof/tree tarp and flashlight lantern first, Ground sheet second then tent….etc etc. To actually BEGIN with sodding and seeding and planting, every planting zone has its life span and if you are unsure of what region zone your part of the country falls within, a simple google search will let you know. Basic rule of gardening thumb from the Hardy Green Goddess is once you see a lilac bloom, you know you’ve seen the last frost and you’re good to go full on.
  • When should I patch seed, and can I fertilize at the same time? My own personal jury is still out on this one. Unless you own your own rototiller and have the brain/patience for simple math (as I do NOT), then for approximately $30.00, a service center can come in and take care of the initial boost for you. Then you can gain the insight of what formula to use and how often to do the upkeep. If your lawn is already established and otherwise in good shape, then you can opt for a quick trip to your hardware store and grab a premixed bag of food that you can either sprinkle down or use in combination with a garden hose spray nozzle activated bottle.
  • How often should I be thinking about mowing? Depending on rainfall, growth activity and temperature along with type of grass, a general height is 3 and 1/3 rd. inches. And even then, you just want to remove the bent over section; so think of that as a third or two….kind of like a trim with good flattop razor hairstyle. Peak season for mowing matches the peak time for growing, and it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that you’ll be mowing twice a week in mid to late July.

Toughing it out with grass over sod.

Beautiful. Elegant. Luxurious. Velvety. Nature’s broadloom tapestry in a world full of sun-blistered astro-grass. If it is pure curb appeal you seek or want the ultimate treat under your feet in the summer heat, sod is GOLD! As long as you know HOW to handle it. Many factors to weigh when making a choice between seeding, sodding, or patching and maintaining your healthy pre-existing grass. Let me try my best to provide you with the pros and cons for both seed and sod.


5. There is a reason why grass is as green as a dollar bill!

It is a PREMIUM investment in your home. But then again, that’s why we have the off-shoulder prep season as well. Budgetary and pre-ordering can save you big bucks and also guarantee that stock will be available for you come delivery or installation day. All prices below are based on a typical medium size lawn- 3000 to 4000 square footage area (or in my lingo, anywhere between 55 feet by 55 feet up to 65 by 65)

SEED:

  • PROS: CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP.  By national average cost, a mid-range lawn in 2020 cost from a low end $250.00 to the upper deck $700.00 from start to finish. Grass seed is available in many different types and options. DIY rating is EASY to MODERATE. The most difficult obstacle is the math equation conversion of square feet into pounds as most hardware stores sell the seed by weight. And speaking of weight…
  • CONS: THE WAIT TIME is painstaking to achieve a full, lustrous lawn; be prepared for a year and a half to two years to achieve a worthy outcome. You risk losing seed with any soil erosion after inclement weather conditions and keeping it weed free is a constant worry as well. It SHOULD be initially applied in the fall so finding the right grass seed in your region is due to popularity and availability as well as storage life shelf over the summer tends to weaken the germination pod of a grass seed.

SOD:

  • PROS: Instant lawn! Well, after you’ve placed an order and confirmed delivery date and/or service crew. DIY rating is MODERATE if you can remain seated or kneeling but can be completed within a day if you’re up for that. Perfect to break or tear apart for patching. It stands up to erosion and can be installed spring or fall.
  • CONS: The Price! Looking back up to sod, assume that the low end of $250.00 (remember: that’s the size of lawn…NOT the selection of seed/type of grass) breaks down to .25 per square foot. With sod, here is where the math is simple; add a $1 in front of the decimal and $1.25 per square foot will cover a low-end sized lawn for a total approx. price of $1,250.00 and onward up for larger yards…..PLUS soil preparation before-hand at an additional 50 to 60 cents per square foot. There are substantially fewer options of sod than there are with grass seed types. It’s also extremely high maintenance within the first two to three weeks existing of hydration, rooting transference and patching/smoothing all with keeping off of it as much as possible.

There you have it. Now the toughest choice is up to you. Suppose you are the type of person who makes a large “addition” to the tool collection every year and is known-worthy about off-season sales. In that case, you might be thinking about installing an entirely new outdoor “broadloom” with a top-notch sod, OR you can spend the same amount and spring for a new ride-on mower with zero-turn, auto-adjust to cut height sensor controls.

++BONUS TIP: IF YOU HAVE LEFT OVER SOD MATS, ROLL THEM UP AFTER A GOOD WATERING, STORE THEM IN A COOL PLACE AND CONSIDER DONATING THEM TO A LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER, SENIORS HOME OR KEEPING THEM AS PET POTTY’S IF YOU HAVE A PET THAT HAS DIFFICULTY MAKING IT OUTDOORS TO ANSWER THE CALL OF NATURE. SOME SOD COMPANIES MAY EVEN BUY THEM BACK. IF NOT, PLACE THEM AT THE END OF YOUR DRIVEWAY AND SEE HOW FAST THEY GARNER THE INTEREST OF A PASSER BY. ++

New Fad in Mowing Magic

When it comes to lawn maintenance and mowing, it’s never been more on edge lately than to want to detail it. From pinstriping to spiraling effects, patterns are popping up everywhere. Now, you can achieve a few of your own without having to head out to a pro sports stadium just to get a glimpse.

6. It’s hip to be square!

Or linear with shading. Or checkmate….if you have a basic push lawnmower, you can have fun with this optical illusion that uses light and shadow basics to create a pristine finished flair. You know what I am referring to. The grass and sod that looks like it has grown in different colors and lengths to make definitive rows or checkerboard stencils. If your lawn is relatively “box” shaped either as a square or a rectangle, you can start by:


  • Waiting. Waiting until the grass is at least 3 inches in height. The tip of the grass blade should begin to bend.
  • Adjust your mower cutting height bed accordingly. Remember the 2/3rds rule. You’re going to want to be trimming off about one third. If you don’t like the result after the first two test rows, you can adjust lower for a more dramatic effect.
  • Slowly and steadily begin at an outer edge and keep your focus at least ten feet ahead. Mow forward in as straight of a line as you can get.
  • Once at the end of that row, reverse by pressing down on the mower’s back wheels and spinning the mower, and yourself around 180 degrees lining up with the first row, return the same way. Complete the entire square section in that exact way.
  • Now, to work in the “magic” of the checkerboard, repeat the exact same linear precision but start at a 90-degree angle from your very first row and carry on.
  • Envision this: the first mow is line to line, back and forth, from side to side while the second is the same back-to-back but from top to bottom.
  • The overall effect comes from the bend you’re leaving behind on the tips of the grass blades. One set is going one way, while the other is coming in the opposite direction, leaving two filters for the light to play with, creating a shaded pattern. I do recommend a test section strip or two before charging ahead full steam at this. It is relatively easy but can be disheartening if you’re not used to having a slow steady pace or a rock-solid hand. After you’ve mastered this pattern, get truly creative and try something with a concentric circle or two. Just be careful of unexplained nightly visitors…. that hover…in massive silver discs.


What bugs you?

Weed sure love to know. Two natural dangers that can devastate a lawn are weeds and bugs. While some look pretty; creeping ground ivy’s and happy busy grasshopper crickets can be just as vile as tick grass and long-horned beetles. Ridding your lawn of pests is a test and how to choose your options depends on your knowledge of identification, environmental concerns, and overall health for your family and yard.

7. Seven typical bugs to look out for:

  • Cutworms
  • Aphids
  • Roundworms
  • Billbugs
  • Chinch Bugs
  • Webworms
  • Ladybugs

Not to make light of the millions of others like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, but after the year of 2020, these will no doubt be cast more into the spotlight than ever before with recommended immediate eradication with pesticide sprays. Please consult your local professional lawn service center with your concerns about eliminating them.

Just as insects can burrow in and camouflage their way to victory if not stopped at the front line, weeds are incredibly deceptive because the majority of them are disguised as grass. With a practiced eye, and hopefully a healthy distance kept from poison ivy, oak and those sticky prickly chestnut thistles, you’ll get a grip on these.


Seven typical weeds to deal with:

  • Crabgrass. The most pervasive and widespread thatch weed that appears before full spring season starts, popping up randomly throughout the yard. If you can’t get a good grip and twist of this annual treat, then you’ll be battling it all summer long.
  • Foxtail. While pretty and fluffed like its name, it can be mistaken for a type of wildflower and if left alone will go about its business without causing any major damage other than feed off your soil nutrients. It’s a nomad weed and only sticks around long enough before finding greener pastures.
  • Wild Chives, Garlic, and Onions. Yes. They are edible and incredibly invasive. Pungent aromas abound when you do cut them, so they are easy to locate once mowed over. Here is the dilemma. You can dig and unroot, transplant to pots and keep for your own edible use or apply the proper herbicides. Dandelion leaves could be included here as well. Wine and salad together or sprayed and gone forever.
  • Slender Rush looks like a mini version of a bullrush as it grows up to 24 inches tall, so it sticks out like a sore thumb in the midst of your manicured lawn. A definite get rid of annoyance that is unsightly.
  • Quack grass. Did you ever wake up and wonder where did this creeping wheat come from all of a sudden? Known to grow up to 24 inches tall, it’s almost dusty ivory color tips do resemble wheat.
  • Annual Blue Grass. No, not the music festival. This most common complete lawn covering, matches the height of the grass it grows in but tips off tiny green and yellowish buds.
  • Nutsedge is a hard root system and keeps its ground by curling out and choking itself around healthy roots by trails of underground rhizome runners. It draws attention to itself by showing off its gold-colored pinky length spikey center.

Dealing with the roots of all things evil will mean having to use a variety of pesticides along with rigid manual removal. Environmental concerns are paramount when considering dealing with weeds so if you suffer with prevailing bronchial or weakened immune systems or have been at all slowed down due to the COVID pandemic, please consult not only your PHCP but the professional lawn and garden centers in your neighborhood for some sage advice.

Once the maintenance is done in the last grasps of winter and until the first two full weeks of spring madness is over, you’ll have enough to keep you busy. I don’t need to remind you of that. Nor should there be a set number of what is out there in preparation. The most important thing to keep in mind is beating the rush. The earlier you start off the better your payout will reward you in kind. The end of the year cross over into the new will be offering some spectacular deals to regain a struggling foothold in a fearful and tentative bruised marketplace. Who knows? You may have been a lifelong consumer with a pro lawn service and decide that sometimes life is too short and now you want to enjoy more outdoor freedom by dividing up the yard work and maintenance. Or maybe your service dealer will remarket new and fresh campaigns that you can’t resist? The one stalwart you CAN count on is the garage. It is always in need of a cleaning…