Community Corner

Five Things to Do Now For a Healthy Yard This Summer

A little work now in the cold weather can pay big dividends when it warms up.

With the chance of snow still in the forecast, you might not be thinking about yard work. But Russ Maiolo, manager of Fairview Garden Center in McCandless, says the present is the perfect time to start get started. He recommends five simple steps:

  1. Clean-up: "The best thing to do is take a nice, heavy metal rake and rake it like you are combing your hair, like getting the dandruff out of it," Maiolo said.
  2. Crabgrass: "If you have crabgrass in your yard, this is the time to apply crabgrass prevention. If you don't do it now, in 30 to 40 days when you think about it and see it growing, you're too late. If you try to kill the crabgrass later, you'll have to kill your whole yard and start over again." 
  3. Fertilizer: "You should also do a spring feeding, something simple, like a milorganite, nitrogen-based, something to get the grass growing. Milorganite does smell, when you first put it down, but it keeps the deer away too."
  4. Don't forget the flowers: "You can also used a pre-emergent weed killer, like Preen,  in your mulch bed to stop weeds from coming up in your flower gardens when the weather gets warmer."
  5. Mower Tune-up: "There are a bunch of little shops around here that will change the spark plug, change the oil, change the air filter and sharpen the blade for you, if you're not willing to do it yourself. Remember, the sharper the blade, the nicer the yard."

If you are not into yard work or don't have the time, check out the Cranberry Patch directory for lawn care services to hire a pro to get your grass in shape.

Like Us on Facebook | Follow Us on Twitter

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Check out some of today's other top stories here.


Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here