Prep for Spring Season With This Spring Start Up Checklist

Every year the ice and snow thaw, the days warm up and you know it’s almost time to break out the irrigation systems and refresh the turf grass, because spring season has arrived.

This year, don’t miss a step when it comes to preparing and setting up your irrigation systems and landscapes with this spring start up checklist.

1. Inspect the irrigation system

Before the season really kicks off, inspect your irrigation system from top to bottom to ensure no damage occurred over the winter.

• First, turn the water on.
• Check the backflow device to ensure it’s turned on.
• Review the leak indicator on the water meter.
• Record your zone’s data to review later in the year during irrigation audit check-ins.
• Program the controller for the season.
• Check for broken, misaligned or obstructed sprinkler heads.
• Inspect the valve box for standing water and to ensure waterproof splices have been used.
• Check your drip system’s filter to make sure it’s clean.
• Let the drip system’s flush run at full force for a few minutes.
• Check the drip emitters for clogs or damage.

Once you’ve reviewed each part of your irrigation system, it could be time for some additional troubleshooting if you found problems. For more detailed information on how to preform an irrigation system audit, watch this Ewing video or review and use this Service Visit Checklist. For help with troubleshooting, stop by your local Ewing store.

2. Prepare the landscape
   Once you’ve inspected your irrigation system, prepare your cool season turf and other landscape plants.

• First, it’s always a good idea to perform a soil test to find out your turf’s specific needs.
• Then, aerate and dethatch your turf, if necessary.
• Next, apply a pre-emergent for weed control once soil temperatures average 55 degrees.
• Apply additional nitrogen fertilizer to help turf stay green and strong throughout spring and into summer.
• Finally, give your turf it’s first cut of the season after it’s fully thawed out. Remember not to cut your turf too short. Never remove more than 1/3 of your turf’s canopy in a single mowing to ensure the healthy and continued growth of your grass.
• Lastly, prune plants and trees in your landscape that need a touch up.

Check out this Ewing video for additional tips on landscape preparation for spring.

3. Refresh your tools

Once you’ve prepared your irrigation system and landscape, you can also prepare your toolbox or trucks for a successful season by taking inventory of your tools.

Broken or worn tools can cause put your team at risk of injury and waste time while on the jobsite. Check out this Ewing blog for more on how keeping broken or damaged tools can be more costly than getting new ones.

Next, review the proper uses of common tools to make sure you and your team are using them correctly with this Ewing blog.

Finally, make sure you have the right tools for the job. These tools for troubleshooting and these tools for irrigators are great additions to your toolbox if you don’t have them.

What are you doing to prepare for spring? Let us know in the comments below and remember stop by your local Ewing store to pick up the tools and other products you need to ensure a successful spring season.