April Checklist 2009

• Begin with a good spring clean-up, which includes raking leaves and removing debris, tree guards and burlap. Just be careful not to remove mulch from perennials or shrubs too early, or to rake your flower garden too vigorously. You could damage the soil, tender new bulbs and emerging plants.
  
• Clean, repair, sharpen, lubricate and tune all of your garden tools, mowers and trimmers, so they are ready to go when you are.
  


Prune trees, shrubs, roses
and perennials to encourage
fruit and flower development.

• Bare spots, salt damage, thatch, pests and mold may be evident as brown lawns gradually turns to green. To remove thatch, rake then aerate with 1-3 inch core holes to help water seep deeply into your turf grass and to loosen any soil that may have compacted over the winter months.
  
• Overseed the bare or thinning patches of your lawn. For drought and insect resistant seed, try Greenview Grass Seed products. Grass Seed Accelerator will help keep your newly seeded area moist while the grass germinates.
  
• Soil testing is the starting point of any lawn fertilization program. Consider testing your soil each time you plant new seed. After your lawn is well established, we recommended testing the soil every two or three years. Check with your local extension agency for available testing in your area.
  
• If your lawn is riddled with weeds and crabgrass, we recommend Greenview Fairway Formula Spring Fertilizer with Weed & Feed with Crabgrass Preventer Zero Phosphate for a one-step process in spring. It prevents crabgrass and eliminates dandelions, clover, vines and other broadleaf weeds as it fertilizes.
  
• Prune trees, shrubs, roses and perennials of dead or rubbing branches. Pruning encourages the development of flowers and fruit. It also helps to preserve a dense hedge or maintain a particular form of a shrub or tree.
  
• Set your mowing height at 2 ½ to 3 inches and mow at the same height all growing season. Try not to remove more than 3/4 inch of grass at any single mowing, and recycle your grass clippings back into the lawn. Whenever possible, mow during the cooler morning or evening hours to avoid damage to the turf.

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