Happy Spring!
Here are helpful tips so you may enjoy your yard through the growing season, keep a healthy yard, meet the requirements of the lease and attempt to satisfy homeowner association regulations. The growing season typically ranges between March and November here in the Northwest. Each month has unique needs and adjustments will be necessary to maintain a desired result. The pointers below are only suggestions as each yard varies in maintenance needs. As always, if you ever have questions about the yard or need the name of a local contractor to help you maintain the yard, we have reliable and reputable references who service the areas of homes we manage.
Grass
Mow at least once per week and try to keep the length around 2″ – 3″ as grass that’s too long is difficult to mow, especially when damp. Keeping grass too short allows it to dry out too quickly. This is merely a general rule of thumb for our Northwest area lawns – no rulers required.
Edge the lawn to keep grass from expanding beyond the current location.
Please remove all trimmings, leaves and debris from the grass and premises on a routine and frequent basis. Any item left on the ground for any length of time may create other yard health problems and concrete stains.
Keep weeds and clover out of the lawn – apply lawn care products or dig out small areas.
DO NOT leave any objects on the grass beyond a day to avoid killing the grass in a particular area. As a reminder: pools, swing sets, trampolines and other attractive nuisances are not allowed due to insurance regulations.
Planting Areas, Shrubs & Trees
Weed at least once per month. Weeds spread very quickly and can be very costly to bring in a landscaper to do if not kept up.
Small shrubs reasonably trimmed with some strong kitchen shears are usually the responsibility of tenants to maintain.
Remove suckers off the bottoms of trees while the suckers are small. Suckers may be a sign the tree is stressed by lack of water or nutrients.
Please notify the management company if landscaping begins touching the residence or causing other concerns. Roots can become invasive and plants sometimes grow too large for the space where planted.
Water
Water at least twice per week. Approximately 15 minutes per area of lawn and 10 minutes per bed area at the plant roots should be enough. The length of time depends upon water output per minute and the amount of sun on that area.
Warm and dry weather will likely require additional watering. Generally watering every other day is sufficient. Watering a bit longer and less often so the roots get water is ideal. Over-watering causes problems too. Finding the reasonable amount for yard health is best.
Ideally, water just before the sun comes up. Allowing water to evaporate slowly throughout the day prevents other problems caused by watering at night.
Yard Care Consumable Products
The property owner may reimburse you for reasonable product purchases to keep the grass and soil in good condition. Products possibly needed are fertilizer, weed and feed, moss control and grass seed. We cannot guarantee how much an owner will reimburse, so please contact management prior to purchasing products.
Submit receipts to your management company for possible reimbursement.
