Lawn Care Tips to Get Your Yard Ready for Spring and Summer

The grass is always greener with a little advance work

By Paul Hope

No matter what the recent weather has been in your area, now’s the time to start thinking about your yard so that it looks its best this spring and summer.

Start off by assessing your lawn mower, string trimmer, leaf blower, and other gear.

“Retailers discount old outdoor power equipment inventory to make way for new models,” says Courtney Pennicooke, a CR market analyst who oversees these product categories.

And even if you can’t snag a deal, shopping now ensures that you’ll get the broadest selection of this year’s stock.

Here’s how to get your property ready for greener days.

1. Check Your Lawn Mower and String Trimmer

Start your gas lawn mower and string trimmer to make sure they’re running well. If you properly winterized the equipment, the machines should be ready to get to work.

If you didn’t winterize the gear, don’t start the mower or trimmer—circulating stale fuel could create problems and then you’d have to drain the lines. Instead, remove the gasoline from each tank using a turkey baster dedicated to this task. Then fill tanks with fresh fuel and stabilizer. Now you can test your tools.

If any problems occur, take the equipment to the service center now; you’ll get your gear back sooner and before you really need to use it.

Below, we have ratings and reviews for top-performing gas walk-behind mowers and string trimmers, in case you’re in the market for a new machine—or you decide it’s time for an upgrade once you get started.

2. Test Your Soil

More than 100 land-grant schools in the U.S. have an extension service that will perform soil testing for a small fee. You can find the closest office to your home on the United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service’s website.

The results you receive will tell you about the nutrients in your soil and the soil’s pH balance. Handling it this early will help you make informed decisions about fertilizing and treating pH.

If your soil has low pH, meaning it’s acidic, you can spread lime now. If you have high alkaline soil, add elemental sulfur. Either way, you’ll benefit from spring rains, which will help the soil absorb what you’ve laid down. But you’ll want to tackle this task now—sending in samples and waiting for results can take several weeks.

3. Clear Leaves and Debris

While it’s generally fine to leave the leaves where they are in the fall, large dense swaths of yard debris can block the sun from reaching your lawn, making it difficult for grass to sprout at all. If you didn’t use a leaf blower last fall, do some cleanup now.

Use the collected leaves for compost. Better still, mulch the fallen leaves with the mulching kit or attachment for your lawn mower or tractor. The churned-up clippings will feed your lawn and reduce the amount of fertilizing.

4. Apply Fertilizer

Bags of fertilizer display three numbers separated by hyphens. The numbers refer to the ratio among nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), in that order. Again, your soil test will let you know what nutrients your soil is lacking.

For grasses planted and intended for cooler, northern climates, put down at least one application of fertilizer in spring (if you need fertilizer). Bagged fertilizer is best distributed with a spreader, either a push model or a snap-on version that attaches to your riding mower.

5. Repair Walkways and Edging

Winter can be brutal on pavers, walkways, and driveways. Aside from damage done by your snow blower or a plow, frost heave—the natural freeze-and-thaw cycle—can split concrete and knock stones out of whack. To keep out water and help keep a problem from worsening, seal any new gaps in concrete with concrete-crack filler.

Secure loose pavers or patio stones temporarily. If the damage is extensive, consider having a landscape contractor dig up and reset the stones, making sure to start 6 inches below the soil line to minimize shifts from future frost heave. Tackling this project now, while pros are less busy, may cost a bit less than booking a repair at the height of the season.

Best Gas Lawn Mowers

Looking for a new lawn mower? Here are three gas walk-behind models that mow like champs.

Honda HRN216PKA

The 21-inch Honda HRN216PKA is among the pricier gas push mowers in our tests, but its performance may justify the expense. In fact, the Honda HRN216PKA’s mulching and bagging performance is strong, so it’s a solid option whether you tend to bag your clippings or not. Another selling point: Honda mowers have top-level satisfaction and reliability ratings based on CR’s owner surveys.

Toro 21311

For respectable overall performance, the no-frills Toro 21311 is a good option. This 21-inch model excels at cutting evenness, mulching, and side-discharging. It’s also strong at handling. Bagging is just satisfactory. The Toro 21311 isn’t overly noisy, though we still recommend wearing ear protection. Toro gas push mowers earned a stellar score for predicted reliability and a middling mark for owner satisfaction.

Troy-Bilt TB120B

The Troy-Bilt TB120B is great at cutting evenly and mulching—it’s also very good at handling and side-charging, dispersing its clippings smoothly and evenly. It is only adequate at bagging, however, meaning it fills up its bag with clippings more quickly than other mowers we tested. Your neighbors won’t be any more annoyed with the machine’s noise than what’s average for a walk-behind lawn mower, but it’s quite noisy for its operator, so we suggest ear protection. Troy-Bilt gas push mowers have an excellent score for predicted reliability and so-so marks when it comes to owner satisfaction.

Best Gas Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers

Honda HRX217HZA

The Honda HRX217HZA is a superb self-propelled mower. It offers terrific performance, whether you need it for mulching, bagging, evenness, or handling. It falls short, however, when it comes to noise output. This model comes with two convenient features: an electric start and a blade-brake clutch. The clutch lets you keep the engine running but pause the blades if you need to move a rock or stick out of your path. But the mower has no side-discharge, instead discharging from the rear to leave clippings at your feet. In our latest survey, Honda’s gas self-propelled mowers were far ahead of the competition, with excellent ratings across reliability and owner satisfaction surveys.

Honda HRN216VLA

Owners surveyed by CR gave Honda mowers stellar satisfaction and reliability ratings, and the Honda HRN216VLA may show why they’re so happy. Delivering impressive mulching performance in CR’s mowing tests, this 21-inch gas self-propelled mower also boasts strong bagging performance. In addition, the unit features a convenient electric start and a rear-wheel-drive system that provides better traction when bagging clippings.

Honda HRN216VKA

The 21-inch Honda HRN216VKA is a great, inexpensive option in our gas self-propelled mower ratings. It performs as well as—or better than—the top-rated Honda HRX217HZA and costs about half the price. Mulching, cutting evenness, and handling are top notch. In our tests for side-discharging and bagging, it earns very good ratings. What’s more, it’s relatively quiet for a gas mower. What’s different? It has a pull cord start rather than a less taxing push button. And it lacks a blade-brake clutch, which stops the blade but not the engine when you release the handlebar. If you have to move a toy or branch while mowing, for example, you’ll need to restart with that pull cord. Also, the HRN216VKA’s warranty is three years vs. five for the HRX217HZA. But Honda self-propelled gas mower reliability and owner satisfaction ratings are second to none, so you might not need that extra warranty protection.

Best Battery Lawn Mowers

Ryobi RY401220

The Ryobi RY401220 can make quick work of your regular mowing. For its hefty price it comes with two batteries, which means you can swap one for the other midway through your mowing and get as much as 1½ hours of run time in one session—more than any other mower we’ve tested offers. What’s more, the batteries need just an hour to charge. This 21-inch battery push mower performs impressively in our tests for side-discharging, mulching, evenness of cut, and noise at 25 feet. It also earns strong scores for bagging, handling, and noise at the user’s ear. Ryobi push mowers are backed by a generous five-year warranty, and batteries have a more standard three-year warranty. These mowers also earned a respectable reliability rating and an excellent owner satisfaction score.

Ryobi RY401200

The 21-inch Ryobi RY401200 is less expensive than the Ryobi RY401220, but it still mows evenly and mulches impressively in our tests—and it produces fine clippings without leaving clumps. It also fills its bag to capacity with clippings, dispersing them smoothly and evenly in side-discharge mode. It’s easy to push, pull, and turn, too. Ryobi push mowers have a great five-year warranty, and its batteries have a standard three-year warranty. Ryobi mowers have a satisfying reliability rating and a stellar owner satisfaction score.

Ego LM2114

For a competitive price, the spartan Ego LM2114 performs commendably, with a respectable run time of almost an hour on one battery. Cutting evenness, noise, and handling are excellent, and it does a solid job mulching, bagging, and side-discharging. This 21-inch-wide push mower doesn’t have high wheels for better maneuvering and doesn’t include a second battery. The battery takes about an hour and a half to charge; it has a three-year warranty, which is fairly standard among the higher-rated battery push mowers in our ratings. Ego battery mower predicted reliability is very good, and owner satisfaction is excellent.

Best Battery Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers

Greenworks MO80L421

The Greenworks MO80L421 is among the most costly battery self-propelled mowers in our ratings, but you get a lot for the money. Foremost is a long battery run time of almost 75 minutes when you account for the included extra battery, enough to cut at least ⅓ acre. The MO80L421’s performance is exemplary for mulching, cut evenness, handling, and noise. It does a respectable job of side-discharging, though we judged its bagging to be just adequate. This mower has a four-year battery warranty, the longest among its category in our ratings, and a comparatively generous four-year warranty for the machine itself. Greenworks battery self-propelled mowers earned top scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in our member survey.

Ryobi RYPM8010

The Ryobi RYPM8010 battery self-propelled mower has a wide, 30-inch mowing deck, a quick average charge time of less than an hour, and a run time of just over an hour. That means you can get through your job—and recharge if necessary—faster than with a typical self-propelled mower. This unit aced most of our performance tests; it was near the top for bagging and handling, and has a long battery warranty of five years. But oh, that price! For about a third of that, the top-rated Greenworks MO80L421 is a much better value.

Ego LM2123SP-2

The Ego LM2123SP-2 battery self-propelled mower runs an average of nearly 2 hours in our tests and needs just an hour to charge. This mower excels in all of our evaluations except bagging, in which it nonetheless performs capably. Its two supplied batteries have midrange warranties of three years. Ego self-propelled mowers have middling reliability and top-notch owner satisfaction scores.

Best Gas Curved Shaft String Trimmers

Husqvarna 130C

Talk about strong performance all-around; the Husqvarna 130C aces our trimming and edging tests. It also does a phenomenal job of clearing tall grass and weeds. This model has two cutting strings for faster, more aggressive cutting. The brand’s curved-shaft gas string trimmers nab a high owner satisfaction rating and a midlevel predicted reliability rating in CR’s member surveys.

Stihl FS 40 C-E

The Stihl FS 40 C-E is the best curved-shaft gas string trimmer in our ratings. It’s one of the few models that offers power and performance on a par with the best straight-shaft trimmers, for about $100 less than what you’d pay for many of those tools. It earns an excellent rating for trimming as well as for plowing through tall grass and weeds. In CR’s member surveys, Stihl gas curved-shaft string trimmers receive a top mark for owner satisfaction and a middling rating for predicted reliability.

Best Gas Straight-Shaft String Trimmers

Honda HHT35SLTA

Boasting top-notch trimming and edging in CR’s tests, the Honda HHT35SLTA is a great gas straight-shaft string trimmer. This model also delivers stellar performance when plowing through tall grass and weeds, and its handling and ease of use ratings are very good. As a brand, Honda gas straight-shaft string trimmers receive an outstanding owner satisfaction rating and a near top-tier predicted reliability score in CR’s member surveys. 

Echo SRM-2620

The top-rated Echo SRM-2620 performs impressively, edging cleanly in CR’s tests. In addition, it earns shining ratings for trimming, handling, and clearing tall grass and weeds. What’s more, the Echo brand is the only one on this list to receive a first-rate score for predicted reliability, based on data from our member surveys.

Best Battery String Trimmers

Makita XRU15PT

An all-star performer across the board, the Makita XRU15PT takes the top prize among battery-powered string trimmers. It hits all our performance tests out of the park except for its ease-of-use score, which is still above average. This model ran for over 30 minutes in our tests, which is average for its class. It weighs just 10 pounds, making it easy to carry. Makita electric string trimmers, as a brand, achieved first-rate scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR’s member surveys. 

Ego ST1502SA

The Ego ST1502SA edges and trims as well as the best gas models, and it does a solid job of clearing through tall grass and weeds. In our tests, it ran for a decent 26 minutes. At 10 pounds, it’s extremely light. Plus, it sells for hundreds less than the top-rated Makita above, while providing performance that’s nearly on a par.

Best Corded Electric String Trimmers

Ryobi RY41135

The budget-priced Ryobi RY41135 rates highly in CR’s tests as a capable corded electric string trimmer that’s easy to use. Its two cutting strings make it effective at clearing tall grass and weeds, trimming, and edging, receiving top marks in all three tests. It’s also one of the easiest string trimmers to use, with above-average scores for handling and controls. Ryobi corded electric string trimmers receive an above-average reliability rating and a subpar owner satisfaction rating in CR’s member surveys.

Black+Decker BESTE620

The low-priced Black+Decker BESTE620 aces our key performance tests, including for its ability to tackle tall grass and weeds. Plus, the tool weighs a light 5 pounds. But despite its telescoping shaft and a swiveling cutting head designed for easier edging maneuverability, it scores only middling ratings for ease of use and handling. And as a brand, Black+Decker corded electric string trimmers garner an average rating for predicted reliability but crumby marks for owner satisfaction.

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