Spring Into Green

Rob Delaby of Shane's Landscaping.

It’s time to think ‘Green’ when it comes to Spring Clean-up for your landscaping. Once the warm spring weather arrives, our thoughts lean towards the outdoors and how we can spruce up our yards so we are rewarded in the summer. Rob Delaby, Carmel resident and owner of Shane’s Landscape and Design agreed to give us insider tips to get our yards looking like we hired a pro, without actually doing so. “With natural organic fertilizers, pre-emergents and some elbow grease, you will have the best looking yard on the block,” explains Delaby. “Just follow my easy steps below.”

Step 1 – Remove all the dead branches, sticks and dead leaves leftover from winter. It is imperative the leaves get picked up immediately, especially Oak leaves, as they do not let any plants or grass breath. Also take the time to look closely at your lawn – is there any evidence of moles? Also, if you have any channels that were burrowed in the surface of your lawn, chances are you have mice paying you a visit.

Step 2 – As soon as possible, you should spread a pre-merge weed killer over the entire surface of your lawn. This will kill any weed seed leftover in your lawn from last year and prevent dandelions from popping up as well as any other broad-leafed weeds. The pre-merge of choice is a natural product. It is called Corn Gluten Pre-Emerge and is handled by many farm and garden centers as well as many big-box stores. Be sure to read the label and get only corn gluten as this will not pollute your yard and will act as your first application of lawn fertilizer as well.

Step 3 – If you detect moles in your yard, or had moles last year, you should apply Milky Spore to your lawn first thing in the spring. This kills the grubs in your lawn naturally, which are the larvae of Japanese Beetles and is the natural food for the moles. Remove their food source and they’ll go away (maybe to your neighbor). Milky Spore is the most environmentally responsible thing you can use for moles and it is by far the longest lasting -more than any inorganic substance.

Step 4 – Spread a 2″ to 3″ layer of hardwood mulch in all of your landscape beds. Be sure to sprinkle the corn gluten down before you lay down the bark. Keep in mind that one cubic yard of hardwood mulch will cover about 150 square feet of bedding area. Dyed mulches will hold their color longer through the summer, and are safe for pets and landscape because they are colored with a vegetable base dye. Mulch will add a fertilizer component to your landscape beds as it decomposes. Be sure to “fluff-up” or turn over your bark by mid-summer to make it last much longer.

Step 5 – Lawn edging is your next step. If you like your beds to run right up to your lawn you can address this is a couple of ways. I prefer to use a small Troy-bilt rear-tine tiller, which cuts about a 12″ clean, vertical path. This can give you a nice crisp line of freshly tilled edge to your lawn and is as easy as running the tiller over it just a couple of times a year. The second way is by the use of a lawn edger or a straight-bladed shovel. However, it is much more labor intensive.

Step 6 – Lastly, give your lawn a good soaking with your irrigation system or lawn sprinklers. This will activate the milky spore and the corn gluten.

“To help your landscaping look ‘fresh’ all summer long, don’t forget to turn over your mulch, edge your landscape beds and walkways, and trim your bushes every month,” says Delaby. “You might also consider planting some perennials to keep the colors bright too. Plant them in containers for your porch or plant them directly into your landscape beds.”

Still have questions? Contact Rob Delaby at Shane’s Landscape and Design directly on his cell phone at 317-557-6034 or at his office at 317-485-6514. You can also visit their website at www.shaneslandscape.com.