In this Backyard Life video, join pro bass angler Andy Morgan as he uses time off the water to get his spring lawn cleanup work taken care of. Here’s a look at a few of the projects he has to tackle around his 70-acre Dayton, TN farm.
Spring Yard Cleanup To-Do List
Trimming: For starters, Morgan has to trim his crepe myrtle trees to ready them for growing season. In particular, those in the front and behind his home.
Lawn overseeding: Where lawn maintenance is concerned, Morgan has some bare spots to fill, and some wild onions and weeds that need to be removed. “Since it’s been a really wet and warm winter, we’ve got a lot of weed growth,” says Morgan.
Mowing: After overseeding his lawn, Morgan has to then mow it with his zero turn mower
Getting Started
Now that it’s not raining, Morgan says “You’ve got to make hay when the sun shines.” Here’s how he get’s his spring yard cleanup done.
Trimming crepe myrtles: It’s important to trim back these trees every year. Morgan’s are close to his house, so he’s mainly trimming to keep them from overwhelming his front yard and house. Morgan cautions that he’s no professional, but knows what looks good in the spaces where his have been planted.
Morgan cuts a few limbs—approximately seven feet off the ground—to thin out the branches. This is a good height, because, when the branches start to grow, they’ll shoot up to about 14 to 15 feet tall. He cuts the branches a little below the fork in the branch, as well as in big pieces so they’re easier to clean up, afterwards. Finally, Morgan trims his trees in late winter or early spring every year before the tree starts to bloom and produce sap.
Overseeding and mowing: To address bald spots in his lawn, Morgan overseeds them, before moving on to the rest of the lawn with the leftover seed. Then, he mows the lawn with his Exmark. Mowing discharges clippings into the lawn, in effect insulating the grass seed. The clippings provide the seed with a bit of covering—like strawing—and help that grass to spring up. The rain forecasted for the next few days will also help jumpstart the grass’ growth.
Extra Yard Cleanup
Combatting weeds and ants: Aside from persistent weeds, Morgan says the biggest challenge he faces around his property are the relentless fire ants. Luckily, Morgan says, he’s relentless in keeping them in check, too.
Target range maintenance: Finally, Morgan surveys his target range and quickly determines there’s work to be done to keep his 3D targets properly protected. Primarily, to keep them from getting damaged from the harsh rain and sunshine they’re continually exposed to.
Now, all that’s left to do is clean off his porch before things should be in tip-top shape at the Morgan farm!
