Spring Cleaning Your Yard

While it is true that South Florida doesn’t have the extreme swings in temperature between seasons that many regions do, there are enough changes in the air to get us excited for the arrival of spring. With hot temperatures on the way, now is the time to take stock of the condition of our homes and yards. Spring cleaning is not just for inside your house – today we take a look at how to spruce up your lawn and landscaping.

• Walkabout: Take a walk around your yard and see if there are any spots which have died, gotten brown, or may be suffering from drought or malnutrition. Depending on the severity of the decaying spots, you may be able to spot treat them, or you may consider cutting out the area and replacing with new seed or sod.
• Rake up Debris: Be sure to clean up the twigs, leaves, or debris which has blown into your yard during our very windy winter. While these items may not cause any harm to your lawn, cleaning it up will help when you begin to fertilize, aerate, or otherwise care for your spring lawn.
• Prune Bushes and Trees: Although freezing conditions were very rare in the winter of 2019-2020 in our area, plants may be exhibiting some dead areas. The best way to ensure that your trees and plants thrive in the spring and summrer is to remove all dead branches and leaves. This allows nutrients and water from the soil to feed the healthy areas of the plants more efficiently.
• Measure for Mulch: Nothing brightens up a landscape more easily than a new layer of mulch in your flowerbeds and around trees. Whether pine bark or red cedar, mulch not only gives a spring cleaning makeover to the look of your yard, but helps to retain miture, and keep the root systems strong and healthy.
  Expert Tip:  Are you tired of mulch and want to try something new? Look into amazing options including pebbles, stone, Santorini tile – even tumbled glass!
• Decide on a Spring Palette: Now is a great time to map out your landscaping plans, including what new plants you would like to include into the hot months in Sarasota and Tampa. You may wish to clean out some of your current plants and flowers, especially if they are languishing, and consider replacing with new vibrant tropicals.
• Add Some Interest: Whether a fountain, a bird bath, or a statuary – get artistic and add some beautiful architectural touches to your lawn this spring.
• Start Planting: Early spring is often the best time to start planting your new choices so that they are well established once the more severe weather months arrive.

Fertilizing Your Yard

Spring is also the time to fertilize your yard here in the Tampa Bay area in order to guarantee the healthiest, green grass for the rest of the year. We recommend fertilizing in early to mid-spring (as well as in November).

If you are unsure of which fertilizer to use on your lawn, stop by a local landscape supply company like Big Earth Supply. Based upon the type of grass you have growing in your yard and your soil type, you may need different fertilizer. (Check out the most popular grass types in South Florida, and why they work so well in our climate.)

No matter what you choose to do for your yard’s spring cleaning, you can count on the professionals at Big Earth Landscape Supply to make it easy. From the best products and advice to our famous customer service, our experts will help you to show off the best yard in your neighborhood this spring.