You can learn a lot by looking at nature. The animals aren’t scrambling right now, treating the world as if it isn’t cold! The bear hibernates, and though the squirrel is still awake, he eats the acorns he stored rather than spending much time out and about. What about you? Winter, and perhaps New Year, is a time to reflect, plan and change. For MasterGrass, that means preparing for spring! We aren’t trying to plant in the snow or pour new concrete hardscaping in below-freezing temperatures. But we are out giving you our customers estimates about all the things you want to do with your yard as soon as it’s possible. Because what warms an Iowa native more than planning for spring? Hardscaping Once the warm weather starts poking its head out, we won’t jump into planting. Iowa springs are too unpredictable to do that so early. But the first thing we will do is get started on hardscaping. Have you been thinking about a patio? Hot for a fire pit? Walking around the possibility of a walkway? We’re going over all your hardscaping plans now, so we can cement your plans into reality once the weather permits. Lawn Care Next will be lawn care. Your lawn won’t be ready for mowing as soon as spring hits, but it may need other services. Lawn care is everything beyond mowing. Lawn Treatments First off, we’ll want to think about lawn treatments. As soon as your lawn is ready to grow, we want to help it with some encouragement. We do that in the form of fertilizer. The fertilizer your lawn needs will depend on how healthy it is and what nutrients your soil has. But you don’t need to figure it out on your own. That’s why you have MasterGrass! But your grass isn’t the only plant napping and gathering strength. The weeds have too! So if your lawn is already well-established, we’ll be spraying pre-emergents. Pre-emergent prevents the weeds from ever growing (emerging) rather than killing them once they’re already here. The only downside is they target every plant in the pre-growth stage so that you can use them on a just-seeded lawn. Aeration and Overseeding Aeration and overseeding are the secret to a beautiful lawn. Aeration loosens up your soil, and overseeding replaces the grass that didn’t make it. So why do you need it? Over time, your ground gets more compact. And dense soil is not conducive to plant growth because the denser the earth, the harder it is for water to reach the plants and the harder it is for plants to emerge. Dense soil can be caused by erosion, walking on it, and water weighing it down. Sometimes over the winter, the snow may make your soil more compact. With an aerator, we poke holes and pull up plugs of dirt, making room for water and air to get to the plants. Then we spread seeds over the newly aerated land, preparing for spring growth. Lawn Maintenance Once your lawn gets going, it will need regular maintenance. So here’s where we get to the most familiar element of landscaping to most homeowners- mowing. Master.Grass provides regular mowing and maintenance to keep your lawn gorgeous and healthy. Landscape Lighting This is it. This will be the year you show everyone that you’re the grill master. But in preparing for spring, summer, and barbeque season, have you considered the sun? If you’re not a night owl, you might not worry about landscape lighting, but if you want your gathering to continue into the evening, lights help extend the party. We provide landscape lighting to extend your outdoor entertaining and improve your home’s safety. By lighting the way, family and guests are less likely to be injured walking around at night. In addition, light makes you a less attractive target for theft or criminal mischief. Trees Your trees are some of the most striking elements of your landscaping. But unfortunately, not all trees make it through winter. Your healthy trees will need trimming once the warm weather arrives, and your unhealthy ones may require removal. Master.Grass does both! Preparing for Spring with Landscaping Quotes It may seem early to talk about mowing, lawn care, hardscaping, and all the other tasks that constitute caring for your property. But preparing for spring now is what will make the difference later. Call Master.Grass for an estimate on everything you need to keep your property fresh, green, and healthy this spring. We’re busy completing our spring schedule now, so don’t wait!