Each spring contractors prepare for the warmer landscaping season and the bustle of new business. To help you jump into your busy season, here are a few tips for prepping your customers’ landscapes.

Clean up fall and winter debris

By the time winter rolls away there is plenty of cleanup to be done: leaves from late-dropping trees, sticks or branches from snowstorms and turf maintenance. All this can be time consuming for contractors as they ramp up from the winter months.

Getting an early start in the spring should be one goal for contractors, as many cleanup and agronomic tasks can be completed before the need to start on the irrigation system. Raking leaves, power-raking lawns, trimming trees and pruning shrubs can be done during the days between late season snows and warmer watering days.

Removing thatch and decaying debris from lawns will help promote more vigorous turf growth. Lawn aerification should be done during this time as well, as it allows air and nutrients to easily absorb into the soil for better root development.

Spring turf preparation

Spring fertilization is an important step in preparing turf for the growing season. A high quality, slow release fertilizer should be applied immediately following aerification to allow fertilizer to reach the soil profile. This fertilizer should have a well-balanced ratio of N-P-K, dependent on soil requirements, which you can find out with a soil test. The timing of this application can be done prior to a late season snow or a spring rain event, but should always be watered into the soil in some fashion. Need help with soil testing? Come into your local Ewing store where a service professional can test your soil and help you find solutions to soil problems.

Following agronomic and cultural practices in the spring will provide your customers with a healthy and invigorated lawn and landscape for the year to come.

Right now you can save big on the tools you need to complete spring cleanup and get ready for turf prep in our Tools EOP, now through Feb. 28 at your local Ewing store.