To have a nice lawn, you have to mow it periodically. If you use a walk behind mower, there are some things you need to do each season to take care of it. Otherwise, you can damage your lawn when you mow.

Each spring when it is time to start mowing, replace the sparkplug and blade on the mower. You can often get kits with everything you need for the yearly maintenance in them. Hopefully, you drained the oil and gasoline out of the tanks before putting your mower up for the season. If not, you need to do that now. Stale gasoline and oil can damage the motor and make it really hard to get it started.

"How should I fertilize my lawn this spring?" a friend of mine asked me a couple weeks ago. My reputation for green lawns is legendary in my circle of influence. "The grass never really perked up last spring, and I want to get off on the right foot."

"If your grass lost its oomph in the summer, you might have a cool season grass," I replied. "Or maybe you didn't water it enough."

"I watered it just fine! The sprinklers even have a timer!"

"Sorry, sorry," I said, raising my hands in a calming gesture. "If you have a cool season grass, it'll be coming into the end of its growth cycle during spring. You only need to water it if it starts to look a little worn down."

Spring cleaning.

The two words seem innocent enough by themselves. Spring. Cleaning. No biggie, right? But like Voltron, the words combine to form something greater than the individual parts, transforming into a phrase guaranteed to induce groans and sighs from homeowners nationwide.

Spring cleaning. Sigh.

While most of us think of dusting, vacuuming and beating draperies with tennis rackets when someone uses the two dreaded words, your home's interior isn't the only area that needs a little TLC after a long, cold winter. Yep, you need to focus some of that picking-up power on your lawn, too.

Like a car, you get hours and hours of use and enjoyment out of a well-tended lawn. You keep it running strong with occasional lubrication and refueling in the form of water and fertilizer. However, just like a car, a lawn suffers from the pitfalls of extended use, running at less than optimal capacity after you rack up enough hours on it. The grass grows a little less green and rainfall drains a little slower.

Yep – your lawn needs a tune-up. Some quick aerating and a thorough dethatching will have it growing like new again.

(A quick aside: fall's the normal time for aeration and dethatching, but if your lawn looks patchy and tightly packed after a harsh winter, performing the process in the spring restores the look of the yard for the rest of the year.)

Lawns are a lot like relationships. Sure, you can opt for a one-night stand, flooding your lawn with fast-acting chemicals and treatments to get something nice and pretty for a short time. However, most of us want something a little more long lasting, a lawn that will bring us happiness and joy year after year – more like a marriage than a one-night stand.

A lot of people shower their lawns with care in the summer months, nurturing it, feeding it, paying close attention to its needs. Fewer people show their lawn the same care in the colder winter months – and why would you? Grass goes dormant, you don't have to worry about watering, and everything's covered in a layer of snow. Lawn care is the last thing on most people's minds.

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you have the green-light to ignore your lawn. Taking care of your lawn in the winter is just as important as taking care of it in the summer. If there’s a blanket of snow covering your lawn, don’t adapt an “out of sight, out of mind” policy towards lawn maintenance. Your lawn is still there and needs you to care for it!

One Last Mow

Make sure you give your lawn one last mow in the early winter. This will be around October to November for most locations. On your last mow of the season, lower the height of your mower some to give it a closer shave. However, avoid any drastic lowering of the mower as this causes stress to the lawn. On your last few mows of the season, gradually lower the mower bit by bit until you’re giving it a pretty good shaving on the last mowing of the season. Doing so helps prevent new growth and disease over the winter. It is also a good idea to lightly fertilize your lawn at the edge of winter to give it the nutrients it will need to make it through the cold season.

Summer is just around the corner. In some places, it feels like it's already here. If you're planning on having outdoor gatherings this year, you want a lawn that can hold up nicely and give you something to be proud of. Here are a few tips to help you achieve that:

Raise the Mowing Height

This is easiest way to ensure the health of your lawn through the summer. When in doubt, just raise the mower all the way to its tallest setting. You never want to cut more than about one-third of your grass in any single session. Yes, this does mean you'll need to mow with a little more regularity, but don't fret: the growth of your lawn will slow considerably as the temperature average goes up. By maintaining a tall lawn, you deter weed growth and allow the grass to root deeper into the soil.

Taking proper care of your lawn in the spring can set it off on the right foot for a great-looking summer and fall. Here are five important tips to follow regarding spring lawn care:

#5: Lawn Mower Tune-Up

Chances are your mower has been sitting dormant in a garage for three, four, maybe even five months. It's time to get that thing out and show it some love. There are a few things you'll need to do. First, change the oil, air filter and spark plug. This is basic yearly maintainence that will keep your machine running smoothly for years longer than it would if you neglected it. If you don't care to attempt these upgrades yourself, a mower repair shop or sales facility will take care of it for you in exchange for a bit of money.

Lawn care isn't cheap, but don't make it more expensive on yourself than it has to be. Avoid common lawn care mistakes and keep your lawn looking nice and your wallet a little fuller. Here are some such mistakes:

Neglecting the Soil

A good lawn begins with good soil. If your lawn has you scratching your head, it may be time to get your soil tested. Unhealthy soil will spawn an unhealthy lawn. There's nothing all of the lawn care products in the world can do to solve this if you're not focusing on the right issue. Always be mindful of how important your soil is!

It's early in the winter season and already it seems there is going to be a lot of snow this year. Most parts of the U.S. have already experienced their first snowfall of the year including places that almost never see snow like Texas!

The better you prepare your lawn for this onslaught of winter weather, the healthier it will be when the spring thaw rolls around. Consider taking some or all of the following measures if you haven't already:

A Nice Clipping

Give your lawn a nice clipping, not a buzz. When you cut your grass too short before the winter season, you can run the risk of killing the lawn via frost damage over the winter. However, you don't want to leave the lawn too tall either. Grass left uncut will eventually grow diseased in most cases.