March hits, and most yards look like they've been through something. Dead patches, matted grass, shrubs that haven't been touched in months, and soil that spent all winter getting packed down under frost and wet leaves. It's a lot to look at all at once.

The thing is, you don't have to do everything in one weekend. Getting a few key things done early, before the heat shows up and the weeds decide to take over, makes the rest of the season genuinely easier. Here's where to put your energy.

Start With the Lawn, But Not With Fertilizer

Most people reach for fertilizer first. That's usually the wrong call.

Grass coming out of dormancy needs air before it needs food. Winter compacts soil, foot traffic, frost, the weight of wet leaves sitting on top for months. Aerate first. Break up that compaction and let water and nutrients actually reach the root system. Fertilizing compacted soil is a bit like watering a sidewalk.

Once you've aerated, walk the lawn and mark the bare or thin spots. Overseed those areas in early spring, and the new grass has time to establish before the heat stress of summer kicks in. Wait until July to do it and you're fighting an uphill battle.

Then fertilize. Slow-release, once the lawn is actually growing. Not before, applying to dormant grass feeds weeds more than it feeds the lawn, and that's a trade nobody wants to make.

Trees and Shrubs, Timing Is Everything Here

Early spring pruning works well for most things. Plants are still dormant or just waking up, the structure is easy to see, and you can spot dead or crossing branches without fighting through a full canopy.

But there's a catch with flowering shrubs. Lilacs, forsythia, and azaleas, these bloom on last year's growth. Prune them in early spring, and you're cutting off the flowers before they ever open. Let them bloom first, then prune right after. Everything else is generally fine to handle now.

While you're out there looking at trees, check for winter damage. Ice and heavy snow can crack branches that stay up for weeks before they come down on their own. A hanging or partially split branch isn't always obvious from the ground, but it tends to make itself obvious eventually.

Garden Beds

If you mulched in the fall, pull some of it back and let the soil breathe before pushing it back around plants. Mulch that sat wet all winter, especially if it was packed thick against stems, can bring mold or pest problems with it into spring.

Work compost into beds before things start actively growing. Once plants are up and established, amending the soil without disturbing roots is awkward and usually doesn't happen. Early spring when the beds are still mostly bare is the window.

Weeds are a different conversation. A pre-emergent herbicide stops crabgrass and a lot of common annual weeds before they ever germinate, but the timing has to be right. Soil temps need to be below 55 degrees. Apply it too late and you've missed the window entirely, because the seeds have already started doing what they were going to do anyway.

The Irrigation System

If the system was blown out for winter, bring it back on carefully. Run each zone by itself and actually watch what happens. Heads that aren't popping, spray patterns that look wrong, wet spots near valve boxes, these are all easier to fix now than in the middle of July when the lawn is dry and you're trying to figure out why one section won't come back.

Frost heave moves things around underground more than most people realize. A head that worked perfectly last fall can come up crooked or not at all in spring. Takes five minutes to fix if you catch it early.

Check the controller too. Power outages and the time change can throw off the schedule in ways that aren't obvious until you notice the lawn running at noon or not running at all.

Edges and Borders

Grass creeps. Over a winter, it creeps into garden beds, over sidewalk edges, and along driveways in a way that's subtle enough that you don't notice until you look at a photo from last summer and compare.

Re-edging in spring takes back that ground and sets a clean line that's easier to maintain through the season. It sounds like a small thing, and it kind of is, but a yard with sharp edges just looks cared for in a way that's hard to put into words. It also makes mowing faster because you're not cleaning up borders on every pass.

Furniture and Structures

Before anyone sits on anything, take a real look at what's out there. Fabric cushions that spent winter in a shed or garage can come out with mildew that isn't obvious until you're up close. Wood furniture that wasn't sealed or covered properly can warp or crack after months of cold and moisture. Metal hardware rusts faster in humid climates than most people expect.

Check fences, pergolas, and any raised bed structures while you're at it. Wooden posts set in ground contact go soft before they go obviously broken. Catching one now is a quick fix. Missing it through a full summer of use usually means pulling the whole thing out eventually.

One Thing Worth Knowing Before the Season Starts

Sprinkler systems can be added as optional coverage under an APHW home warranty, something a lot of homeowners don't think to ask about until after a line breaks mid-summer. Leaks, breaks in PVC lines, valve components, and activation controls are all covered under that add-on.

Beyond that, the major systems in your home, HVAC, plumbing, water heater, electrical, and appliances, are covered under the standard plan. Spring is a natural time to make sure everything is in place before the seasons that put the most demand on those systems.

Call 800.648.5006 or visit APHW.com with any questions.

Terms and conditions apply. Coverage varies by plan. Refer to your service agreement for full details.