5 Tips to Prepare Your Lawn for a Landscaping Project

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Having a landscaped lawn means having an outdoor space that can double as a dining, entertainment, or recreational venue. A landscaped outdoor space can also easily enhance the overall aesthetics of your property and instantly boost its curb appeal.

To enjoy all these benefits and more, you need to choose the right design and have a good plan. Preparing your lawn properly for your landscaping project will also ensure that your project goes smoothly and is finished well within schedule. You will also have better chances of getting the result and look you want.

Landscaping pros from Montclair, Virginia share below some useful tips for preparing your lawn for an outdoor space remodeling project:

  1. Have your soil tested

Before you even begin planning your landscaping project, test your soil to see if it has the right pH balance and mix of nutrients. There are soil testing kits you can buy at the local garden center or online which are easy to use. You can also have your landscaping contractor conduct the test for you.

When you test your soil before the landscaping project officially starts, you and your landscaper will know which type of fertilizer to feed your lawn and how much to apply in case your soil needs additional nutrients. This will then ensure that the grass and other plants that will be planted will thrive in your lawn.

  1. Identify and map out all the permanent structures in your yard

Together with your landscaping contractor, make an inventory of all the permanent structures in your yardthat will be affected by the project and their preparation requirements. These include trees, pipes and underground power lines.

For example, if you want to have a pond built in your lawn, you and your landscaper have to know the locations of all hidden hazards such as underground power lines and pipes. Make sure these structures and other possible hazards are included or covered in your landscaping plan.

  1. If your landscaping plan includes an irrigation system, know about your home water pressure

Installing an irrigation or sprinkler system before you have your lawn landscaped will help you save time and money.

You will have an idea about the water pressure in your home by checking the water coming from an outside faucet. You should then choose an irrigation line to one that fits your water service. Finding your water-service flow rate, mapping the sprinkler layout, and deciding on what areas the system will cover will also help you select the right irrigation system.

If your landscaping contractor will be the one to install your irrigation system, make sure they go through all these steps so that you will have the right sprinklers for your lawn.

  1. Remove any softscape and hardscape features that you don’t want

If you have some extra time,remove all the elements you have in your yard that won’t figure in your new landscape.

Softscape features include:

  • Plants
  • Bushes
  • Trees

Hardscape features include:

  • Paving
  • Retaining walls
  • Fountains and other water features

Removing hardscape and some big softscape features will require some specialized equipment and tools. You can get from help from professional contractors with this particular prep task as well.

  1. Prune all plants that will remain part of the new landscape

If you want your current favorite trees, bushes, and flowering plants to still be part of your new landscape, prune them using a bypass pruner, lopping shears or garden shears. Pruning will help improve the look of these plants. You will also be better able to maintain plant health and improve the quality of their flowers, foliage and stems.

Make sure you use the right pruning techniques for the trees, shrubs, and plants you have. But regardless of the variety of plants, make sure you remove all weak, diseased, or dying limbs, branches and leaves.

If you will be hiring professionals to handle this project, make sure you choose a company that offers full service landscaping. By doing so, you can leave all the prep work to the experts. You will also get help with choosing the right landscape design that works best for your property.

At the end of the project, you will have a better, more appealing functional outdoor space where all elements serve a purpose.