NC local guide: How to care for your lawn this spring (for beginners)

As spring weather rolls in, many people across central North Carolina start to spend more time outside. Sometimes, they don't like what they see.

Sure, the trees may bloom with beautiful blossoms. And yes, the sky may have brilliant blue colors. But, after a winter with little yard work, homeowners realize their lawns are in terrible shape.

Fortunately, your lawn doesn't have to stay that way. It doesn't take an expert to create a beautiful yard in North Carolina. All you need is some basic lawn care and spring maintenance to trim your space.

This local guide will provide you with essential lawn care tips and practices. So, without further ado, let's jump right in!

The first step in effective spring maintenance is gathering debris from your yard. We know that central North Carolina receives plenty of storms. In fact, North Carolina has an average of two landfall hurricanes each year.

What does that mean for your yard? Storms often bring high wind levels that knock debris into your yard. Homeowners with several trees suddenly notice branches, twigs, pine cones and leaves coating their yards.

So, start your lawn care regiment by collecting this debris and disposing of it. Walk around your yard and pick up any branches, twigs, etc., that you see. You can also use your rake to collect dead leaves and grass.

If you're a composter, these materials provide an excellent opportunity. You can add these materials to your compost bin to create better compost material.

Cleaning up the debris in your yard goes a long way to improve its appearance. But there are plenty of other problems that can plague your lawn.

One common issue for yards is the abundant weed population. Weeds spring up throughout North Carolina, sapping nutrients and resources from your grass and plants.

Some common weeds in North Carolina include dollarweed, clover, dandelions, and wild violet. Some of these weeds, such as the wild violet, are often pretty plants. If left unchecked, these plants can kill significant portions of your grass.

So, how can you go about removing these weeds? There are several options available.

First, you could use name-brand pesticides and chemicals found in stores. However, these compounds often include toxins that could damage other parts of your yard. These chemicals may even produce adverse health effects for you and your family.

Another option is to use DIY cleaners. For example, you can use boiling water to eliminate any weeds springing up on your porch or in your driveway cracks. This boiling water kills weeds at their roots.

Boiling water can also treat weeds in your yard, but be careful. Pouring too much water into one place could damage surrounding grass and plants.

Another solution is to spray white vinegar onto weeds. This solution acts as a poison and eliminates weeds in a short time.

Once you've eliminated your weeds and removed debris, the next lawn care step is to cut your grass. So, it's time to break out the mower!

Before cutting your grass, check that your mower is in good condition. Are the blades sharpened? Is it properly tuned?

Next, set your mower in the sun for a few hours. Most people leave their mowers in a garage or shed during the winter since their grass doesn't rapidly grow. During that time, mowers often become cold.

It can be dangerous to start a cold mower without warming it up. So, let it sit in the sun until it's warm enough to use.

Then, start cutting your grass! It's best to mow your lawn on the highest setting in the spring. Do this once every five days.

This routine allows the roots to reproduce and gives your lawn a luscious look.

If this spring maintenance regiment seems extreme, don't worry! You can return to mowing your lawn once a week when summer comes around.

Each winter, people complain about the cold weather drying out their skin. But did you know that winter weather has the same effect on your yard?

Several months of cold weather dries out your soil, making it tough and congealed. It's difficult, if not impossible, for nutrients to permeate your soil in this state. So, homeowners must aerate the soil to allow fertilizer nutrients to reach it.

Soil aeration can be a challenging task for beginners. Instead, it may be better to hire professionals to aerate your yard and bring air to your soil.

Electric mowers could make light work of lawn maintenance

The final step in your lawn care preparation is planting your flower beds. Several types of flowers do well in central North Carolina during the spring, including:

Some of these plants begin blooming by the end of March. Others, like roses, often need more time to enjoy the sun before they bloom. These plants usually spring to life by May or June.

Once you decide what flowers to plant, start seeding them. From there, you can begin edging the beds.

The best strategy for this is to use a sharp spade to create a trench around your flower beds. This way, you can keep weeds from infiltrating the bed.

Then, find the best mulch to cover your beds. Mulch helps make your yard look better and prevents weeds from growing in your flower beds!

Following the tips in this local guide can help your yard tremendously. Some steps produce immediate results, such as clearing out debris and killing weeds.

Other steps may take more time to produce noticeable results. Once you achieve these results, though, you'll be glad you followed this spring maintenance! Your lawn care efforts will create a lush and vibrant lawn that all your neighbors envy.