For those of you that love the warmth, the good news is, it’s officially spring! Now is the time to start focusing on your home’s exterior. There are some spring home maintenance tasks that are perfect for April.
Here are some specific home maintenance checklist items that should be completed this month:
☐ Check your yard for low spots
- Look for puddles around your yard after rain. This may indicate low spots.
- Low spots can destroy your grass and create a breeding grounds for pests like mosquitos.
☐ Check soil drainage
- Soil needs to slope away from your foundation to prevent damages such as foundation cracks, and water leakage into your home.
- A landscaping professional can evaluate your property’s slope and grade.
☐ Clean out plant beds
- Removing debris helps to prepare your beds for new growth and planting.
☐ Check sprinkler systems
- If you find dry spots, re-aim your sprinkler heads.
☐ Inspect trees for diseases
- The earlier you spot signs of diseases, the better the chances are of successful treatment.
- Diseases are not often easy to spot with an untrained eye. For these inspections, it is best to consult with a professional.
☐ Plan for pruning on ornamentals and summer flowering shrubs
- Your tree service professional will prune according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI A300).
- Improper pruning can result in devastating damages.
☐ Look for dead, damaged, or broken branches
- This could be a result of winter damage, or signs of diseases.
☐ Assess frost damages
- In trees this may present in the form of cracks.
- In plants, you may notice brown, dried out leaves.
☐ Schedule spring fertilization
- Contact us to schedule your spring fertilization planning consultation.
☐ Inspect for pests that become active in early spring
- Look for egg masses along the branches – scrape them off and dispose of them.
- Tent caterpillars will become visible at this time – get rid of them early.
- Yellow egg masses may be lady beetles (these are helpful predators).
- Look for mites on hemlocks, pines, and spruces.
☐ Weed around tree trunks
- Weeds steal water and nutrients from your tree
☐ Prepare to protect your tree trunks from mowers
- Mulching helps to create a safe distance from your tree trunks – however, mulch should only be about 2-3 inches deep, and should not touch the trunk!
The professional arborists and landscapers at Red Cedar can help you to not only complete the above April checklist, but we can also provide a plan for the upcoming seasons. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of arboricultural tree services, landscape services, and plant health care/pest management services for all of our clients! The first signs of spring are always exciting, but with those signs also comes the start of a long list of exterior home maintenance tasks. Let us take care of your yard, and alleviate the stress of an endless checklist. Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered. Contact Red Cedar today for your free consultation!