How to complete exterior home/backyard maintenance in spring

Exterior home/backyard maintenance spring Check List

Begin exterior work with yard clean-up projects to close out harsh winter damage and to prepare for the new growth season. Prune trees, shrubs, and flower foliage with so the plants can take off with quick, healthy growth. Plan to systematically clean exterior home features, outdoor structures, and even outdoor furniture useful for warmer





weather. Assess all possessions to make repairs and conduct yearly maintenance. Get ready to enjoy the warmer weather with some fresh improvement ideas.

As soon as the weather begins to warm, the instinct to clean and to prepare for new growth prevails.

Part 1-How to CLOSE-OUT WINTER stuff

Spring is a great time to start the yard clean-up after the cold, harsh winter.

Remove burlap that was added to the trees and shrubs during late fall

If irrigation lines loosened with the freezing soils, go through the system and pin down loose parts.

Use a power washer to clean the exterior of the home, hard surfaces, and outdoor structures.

Use a pressure washer to clean the home’s exterior. The recommended strength for either an electric- or a gas-powered pressure washer is 1200-3000psi; the higher the power, the higher the pressure.

Do a little experimenting on a corner of the siding, for example, to make sure the pressure is not too high to cause damage. Do not power wash window screens.

Go through and prune all tree branches in the yard that may have dried up over the winter. Additionally, early spring is a good time to do structural pruning.

Use a handsaw for branches that are over ½" diameter.

Shape hedges with hand pruners rather than with powered shearers so that the shrubs do not respond with overgrowth as the weather warms up.

Prune unwanted shoots at intersecting tree branches.

Prune rose of Sharon shrubs before the buds appear.

Prune spring blooming shrubs such as the forsythia after it begins to flower.

Prune evergreen trees back to intersecting branches.

Provide supplemental deep food for tree roots, especially for small trees that are not yet established.

Do not ever trim more than 1/3 of a tree.

Hire a licensed, insured arborist for trimming large branches.

Prune perennial plants in flower beds to prepare for the new growth season fast approaching.

Trim down perennials to a height of 4" - 5".

Trim ornamental grasses to a height of 2" - 3".

Transplant plants such as daylilies and hostas leaving at least 3 stems per clump.

With climbing plants, remove older woody canes, then use jute twine or Velcro fasteners to reshape vine plants.

Consider purchasing a tool bag, waste basket, gloves, plant ties, a lopper trimmer, a bypass hand pruner, a kneeling pad and seat.

Mix rubbing alcohol with an equal part of water and put into a spray bottle to apply to the pruners after snipping each shrub to prevent the spread of shrub disease.

Clean out the flower beds and flower borders to prepare the soil for fresh plantings when the weather warms up.

Rake out fallen leaves and dead foliage.

Pull up annuals if not already done so in the fall.

Remove existing mulch to set the stage for new mulch.

Push down the roots of heaved plants.

Add fertilizer recommended for the flowers in the bed.

Add a 5-10-10 fertilizer around bulbs.

Use a square-head shovel to give the flower beds a clean edge.

If there are rose bushes on your property, begin to prune the roses so that healthy new growth begins as the weather warms.

Prune repeat-blooming rose varieties in early spring.

Trim rose canes to 1" below blackened areas.

Dab wood glue at the end of pruned canes to deter insects.

Remove any noticeable weeds now before they seed and spread.

Pull up dandelions before seeding begins through the lawn.

Do not add weeds to compost piles because sprouts could shoot up and reseeding would eventually occur.

Begin the lawn care maintenance schedule to jump start a healthy lawn throughout the growing season.

Check the soil’s pH and then apply soil amendments if needed.

Remove turf damaged from salt, plows, or disease and reseed bare areas.

Grass seeding can begin when the weather is warm in the spring, past any concern for frost. A good rule of thumb for when to start grass seeding is to begin when the forsythia begins to bloom.

Add a 1/2" layer of compost to perennials and any grass seeding areas.

Fertilizers should be added as soon as the temperatures begins to consistently remain warm.

Crabgrass treatments can be applied once temperatures begin to warm up.

If the lawn needs new grass seed and treatments for weeds, seed first and wait a couple weeks before treating the lawn for weeds and crabgrass. Remember that seeding can also be done in the fall as an alternative option.

Check outdoor spigots for damage.

Check to see if outdoor spigots suffered freeze damage.

Turn the water on and try to hold a thumb over the hole, if the thumb can stop a flow of water, then there is likely damage that will need to be replaced.

Check the garden hose to see if it there are cracks or holes. If a purchase is needed, consider visiting our buyers guide for residential garden hoses.