SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — Homeowners in KELOLAND might be anxious to start their yard work now that we’ve turned the page on winter.
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But local professionals are cautioning, ‘not so fast.’
We find out what you should… and should not… be doing with your lawns and gardens, right now.
Lawns will be able to breathe easier in the springtime if homeowners start removing dead grass and other debris that built up over the winter.
“Right now, we’re doing spring cleanup, de-thatching, just kind of getting lawns ready,” The Yard Barbers lawn care manager Matt Graff said.
It’s the start of a busy time of year for local lawn-care companies like The Yard Barbers.
“It’s not too early to get on the books to any landscaping projects or like seeding projects. We have people calling in right now, wanting to get on the schedule for those things,” Graff said.
But Graff says it’s still a little too early to start grass seeding.
“We like to see kind of consistent overnight lows in the fifties before we start doing any seeding,” Graff said.
And the overnight temps are also too chilly to activate your sprinkler system just yet.
“You don’t want to have water running in your lines and those freeze and cause a major issue,” Graff said.
Landscape Garden Centers customers are ready for spring.
“Our phones have been ringing already today quite a bit with questions on what we have in stock, can I water my plants? You name it, we can answer it,” Landscape Garden Centers DIY design consultant Joy Blacketer said.
Blacketer says you need to hold off planting annuals until at least Mother’s Day.
“And we are clear past the late frost because that’s really bad for annuals, so we want to avoid planting annuals until then,” Blacketer said.
It’s okay to start planting perennials now, if the conditions are right. Just give it the shovel test.
“If you can put a shovel in the ground, you should be able to plant, if the ground’s thawed enough in that particular spot,” Blacketer said.
Experts say its best to exercise patience during these recent wide swings in temperatures because there will still be plenty of time to put your green thumbs to good use.
Landscape Garden Centers is hosting beginner seed-starting workshops both Thursday and Friday.
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