Spring is the perfect season for a variety of landscaping endeavors—both large and small. But, before you dive right into your yard work, it’s important to prepare.

Whether you’re looking to just add a few simple touches or completely transform your yard, it’s important that you ensure your lawn and existing shrubs are at optimal health.

Inspect Your Yard

One of the first steps in your spring landscaping plan should be inspecting your yard as a whole—including trees, shrubs, plant beds and even irrigation systems. Though many areas in north Florida experienced a mild winter, we still tend to require much less lawn maintenance during these months, so by spring it is time to take a close look at the health of your entire yard. When examining trees, look for any damaged branches and prune them or have them professionally removed. As you inspect your plant beds, check to see if the mulch is at its optimal thickness. If not, add an inch-thick layer of fresh mulch to ensure the roots are kept cool throughout the summer.

Another crucial piece of your landscaping should be your irrigation system. After the weather warms up, it is important to turn on your irrigation system to make sure it’s still working properly, and fix any broken or leaking valves, replace missing nozzles and repair clogged sprinklers.

Test Your Soil

Before you dive into any big landscaping projects that involve growing flowers and other plants, you should test your soil to see if it has the proper pH balance and mix of nutrients. The process is simple. To get your soil tested, you take a sample to your local agricultural extension office or use an at-home soil testing kit that is available at a garden shop or hardware store. Testing your soil at the beginning of your spring landscaping process will allow you to troubleshoot with fertilizer in the case that your soil does need additional nutrients—increasing your chance at having a successful growing season.

Fertilize Your Lawn and Shrubs

For many varieties of grasses commonly found in Florida, including Centipede, St. Augustine and Zoysia, spring is the optimal season for fertilizing. All plants benefit from proper fertilization, so, in addition to fertilizing your soil, you should consider fertilizing your trees and shrubs as well. When planning landscaping projects that include the planting of new shrubs, it’s essential that you maintain the health of your existing plants. If new shoot growth—or growth occurring in the present year—is between 2 and 6 inches, then your trees require fertilizer. Another indicator of the need for fertilization for trees and other shrubs is yellow or off-color leaves.

Spring is also a great time to use weed and feed on your lawn if you want control many summer weeds. However, it is critical to apply the pre-emergent weed killer prior to weed seed germination. Post-emergent weed killers will only kill weeds that are up at this time, and will have no effect on weeds that may pop up throughout the late spring and early summer.

If you’d like to begin planning your spring landscaping projects, but you’re still not sure where to start, consult with the professionals at C&A Landscape today. To schedule an appointment or get a quote, call us at 850-329-0621.