The clocks have gone forward, and the weather’s warming up. What better time to start thinking about preparing your lawn and garden for the year ahead with a good spring clean. Follow All Green’s tips and your whole garden will be looking better in no time.

Clean your mower (and any other tools)

Whatever type of mower you own hopefully you put it away safely at the end of last year. Now’s the time to check it over and make sure it’s up to the job of keeping your lawn in check all through the year.

Before you start. make sure electric mowers are unplugged and disconnect spark plugs on petrol-driven mowers. If you didn’t clean any debris out from under your mower, do that now. And give the underside of the mower a good clean.

Check and sharpen or replace any blades that need it. If you have a hover mower with plastic blades, make sure you’ve got spares for the season ahead.

For a petrol mower you can change the oil and maybe change the spark plugs to help extend its life and keep it cutting efficiently. Then refill the petrol tank ready for the first cut of the year.

While your checking your mower, see if any other tools, such as pruning shears, need their blades sharpening. Replace any that are beyond repair. You’ll be needing them soon

Smarten up your decking or patio

Power washing decking or a patio will make your garden look instantly tidier. Not only that, washing decking will help to make it safer by removing any algae or mildew which can make it slippery.

If you’re using a power washer you shouldn’t need to use any cleaner, as the force of the water should be enough. This is also safer for your lawn, and surrounding plants as you won’t be in danger of covering them in chemicals.

If you have a patio, any sand that has been used to dress it will need to be replaced after cleaning.

Clear leaves and any other debris from the lawn

If you haven’t ventured out into the garden much over the winter, leaves or branches may have blown from overhanging or nearby tree onto your lawn. You can’t do anything with the grass until these are cleared.

Leaves can go into your compost bin if you have one, to create a great source of nutrients for the rest of your garden. Branches, and other large garden debris should go into your garden waste bin for removal by your local council.

Get mowing

Now your mower’s ready and the lawn is clear you can think about mowing your lawn. Avoid doing this if the ground is still very wet to reduce the risk of damage. Waiting until the afternoon if the weather is warmer or sunnier can be enough to ensure that it is dry enough to walk on.

At this stage of the year you should have your mower blades relatively high, especially for the first cut. You can lower them as the year goes on.

Prune your shrubs & trees

Unruly shrubs and trees don’t only look unsightly, if they create shade on your lawn, they can also increase the risk of moss growing.

While you may not be able to ensure that no part of your grass is in shade, you can increase the amount of light by cutting back surrounding greenery.

If you’re not sure what you can prune a general rule for shrubs and trees is that if they flower after mid-June you can prune it in the spring. For earlier flowering shrubs and trees, you’ll need to wait until they have finished flowering.

Think about scarifying

If you have a lot of lawn thatch or moss on your lawn, now is a good time to think about scarifying. All Green carry out overseeding when we scarify a lawn in spring, as this gives the new grass time to grow and become stronger.

Speak to a professional

Once you’ve taken stock of your tidier garden, or if the lawn is in poor shape, it’s worth calling a professional. You can contact us at All Green Lawn Treatments for your free lawn analysis and we’ll talk over your options. For example, if you noticed that your lawn was very waterlogged when you cleared it of leaves you may want to consider aeration . Or you might want to chat to us about putting together a year round treatment plan.

Whatever state your lawn is in call us on 01234 694720 or complete the online contact form to arrange a free visit and quote.