Spring

• Spread granular, slow-acting fertilizer. (This is optional if you fertilized in the fall or winter)
• Aerate the lawn to treat compacted soil
• Mulch with organic matter, if necessary
• Sharpen your mower blades at the start of the season

• Learn the signs of bug infestation and head off the problem early
• Water your lawn weekly if rain is scarce or if your soil is poor. Otherwise, water only when rainfall is delayed more than 10 days
• Treat weeds and bare spots as soon as you see them
• Sharpen your mower blade again halfway through the season

• Water trees and shrubs thoroughly mulched before the first frost.  But don’t overwater! Plants and shrubs should look a little brown in September and October
• Mulch with organic material, or mow a layer of fallen leaves into the lawn
• Fertilize your lawn around Thanksgiving to promote strong root growth during winter
• Cutting the grass a bit shorter just before winter to prevent its matting under snow

• Put burlap windscreens around less hardy plants if they’re in exposed areas
• Use a broom to brush snow away from evergreen trees gently, to keep the weight from breaking the limbs
• If ice or snow does break tree limbs, have the limbs removed as soon as weather permits – damaged trees are prone to disease
• Putting markers at the edge of your lawn will help you avoid damaging it when you’re shoveling snow
• Avoid walking on frosted or snow-covered lawns
• Use only non-salt de-icers for sidewalks and driveways, so the runoff doesn’t harm plants.  Salt will damage grass, perennials, and shrubs, and will keep the plants from absorbing much-needed water
• Check any perennial plants during periods of thawing soil to see if roots popping out of the ground. If they have, gently push them back into place, and add mulch.