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It's not easy being green. (Just ask my lawn.)

A lush lawn is the homeowner's badge of honor. Stroll through a subdivision on a spring evening, and you will see residents aerating ambitiously, fertilizing feverishly, and weeding with a vengeance.

Want to see the green grass grow all around your home? Here are 9 handy hints to ensure a lovely lawn:

1. SPREAD OUT THE SNOW. If the snowplow left mountains of white in your yard, you will want to spread this out with a shovel. Huge piles will take longer to melt, and this will encourage fungal growth, which can harm your emerging grass.

2. RAKE AWAY THATCHING. If you have more than " of thatching remaining on your lawn, then you will need to rake it away. This will remove dead grass and other materials that hinder lawn growth. Occasionally, grass blades can stick together and form matted patches, known as "snow mold." Spring raking breaks these up.

3. AERATE ANNUALLY.

Rent a lawn aerating machine from a local garden supply centers, or hire a lawn service to aerate your yard. Simply walking laps across the yard in cleated shoes will not do the trick.

4. LIME, IF NEEDED.

A healthy lawn must retain the prophe ph balance. Lime can be applied with a lawn spreader. If in doubt, you can send a soil sample to your local county extension office for acidity analysis.

5. OVERSEED TO FILL IN BARE PATCHES.

Pet droppings, foot traffic, and other culprits may have created bare spots in your yard. Apply grass seed and a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer to these areas.

6. FERTILIZE APPROPRIATELY.

Compost, mulch, and other fertilizers can jump-start your green grass. A light spring feeding is ideal, with a heavier feeding in the fall. Over-fertilizing can foster diseases and weed growth.

7. APPLY WEED-KILLER.

Preventing weeds is a lot easier than pulling them later! Read package labels carefully to select the right product for your needs.

8. PULL WEEDS AS THEY APPEAR.

Digging weeds out (roots and all) is the only way to ensure they will not return. Be careful that you do not drop seeds as you go! Dandelions re-seed with their flyaways, so you need to remove them before the flowers fade.

9. MAINTAIN THE MOWER.

Tuning up your lawnmower before the grass grows will serve you well. Refill the gas tank, and have the entire mower checked. If the mower does not work, after the long winter, you will want to replace it while the stores still offer a full selection and inventory. Many retailers offer excellent bargains in spring sales.

Before you know it, the lawn will be sprouting, lush and green all over, and you will be ready for picnics, parties, and playdates.

. . . . . . .

If all else fails, you can always do what my own dad did. When we were kids, he dug up the grass-impaired front lawn and planted pachysandra. (The shady setting was just the ticket, although we couldn't run bases in it.)

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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