As spring approaches it time to get your lawn ready.

In a couple of weeks it will be time to thatch and get your lawn ready for the grow season. It is a great time to get a soil test to see were you lack in nutrients.  To get a soil

Test you take some soil samples from a couple areas of the lawn.

Put it all in a nice clean plastic zip lock bag and send it to a soil testing facility. To find one near you look online or in the yellow pages.

You could call the Master Gardeners as well for references about a good soil testing facility. It is a bit early to thatch, so I first give the lawn a few good cuts. Take some time to observe the areas that got beat up from winter, mole damage and any other problems that occurred. It is very important that you have your mower in great working order. Remember to always wear safety gear working on and around your mower.

This time of year it is a great time add plants as well as tidying up. In my past blogs I mentioned adding mulch, also have an area where you can have your lawn compost ready to use when you thatch. In my next blog I will go over thatching and what steps to take to get that natural lawn going.

While cutting your lawn I always do a perimeter run first. This is when you mow the whole outline of the lawn. Then I find a point to make a straight cut so every mow you’re not mowing in the same direction. This will eliminate the ruts.

Q. My tree looks sad. What can I do to get it healthy?

A. Spring time when I am mulching and feeding all the plants.  I like to put

Some organic fertilizer spikes in the root zone of the tree. To do this measure the tree caliber. That will tell you how many spikes to put in the drip zone. Remember to always read the label and more is never better.

Finally add the mulch, start at the bark flare never on the bark of the tree and add more as you go away from the plant.

Water if we get no rain.

Thank you and happy gardening to you and yours,

Gardener Joe

Joe Machcinski is owner of Pangea Garden-scapes, a natural and organic yard care business  that offers design, education, consulting and care. He has over  13 years in the green industry. He received  certifications through planet network and WSU master gardener program. He is active in Washington  Association  of  Landscape Professionals. He can be reached at (360) 990-3035 or besthands@aol.com.

 

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