Lawn care is an important part of taking care of your property. There’s very little doubt how well you manage your landscaping makes an impact on your home’s curb appeal. Weeds and dead patches of grass won’t project the image you want to give off to your neighbors. However, with a little lawn care, you can have the well-groomed lawn of your dreams.
Test Your Dirt
One of the biggest and most preventable mistakes homeowners make with their lawn care is that they start by tossing down chemicals onto the grass without determining what nutrients the soil is in need of to properly grow healthy grass. Soil tests are low-cost and will give you definitive readings on the pH level of the soil as well as the present amounts of phosphorous, nitrogen, sulphur, and potassium. Adding an overabundance of these nutrients can actually damage your lawn, so knowing the exact amount needed is tremendously beneficial.
Time the Application of Weed Killers and Fertilizing Products
At the very minimum, your lawn needs to be fertilized at least twice a year. A good basic schedule to follow is to apply fertilizer around Memorial Day and Labor Day annually unless you live in warmer, southern climates that require early fertilization. Don’t go cheap with the fertilizer and instead choose reliable brands with slow-release formulations.
If you have a problem with weeds, attack them aggressively during the early weeks of spring and summer. Waiting too long allows the weeds to reproduce and develop hard to kill root systems. When soil is moist, you should also make it a habit of pulling any visible weeds out of your lawn by hand.
Water More, But Not Often
One common misconception is that beautiful lawns require nightly watering. In fact, you only need to water your lawn once weekly. But the weekly watering of the lawn needs to be a good soaking that is able to deeply penetrate the root system. The only exception is newly seeded lawns. In this case, water daily for a few short minutes. As the seeds sprout, you can increase the time you water the lawn.
A Good Shave
Not all lawn mowers are created equal. Although your mower may cut the grass adequately, dull blades can make your grass susceptible to disease. On the other hand, cutting the grass too short can undermine root development. You need to find a happy median and cut the grass with sharpened blades and aim to maintain a lawn height between 3 to 3 ½ inches.
>> Learn How Often Should You Mow And Water Your Lawn
Lawn Tips and Tricks
Another way to improve your landscaping is to stop bagging those lawn clippings after you mow. Lawnmowers cut off the top third of the grass’s height. The upper part of the grass removed decomposes quickly and helps feed your lawn nutrients it requires to thrive.
Aerating your lawn is another technique you can use to improve the overall health of your grass. An aerator pokes hole in the soil to help the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the roots. Aerating can be done in the fall or the spring.
Landscaping maintenance can be time-consuming and very easy to bungle up. The busy homeowner’s best bet is to hire a reliable and experienced landscaper to take care of your lawn. A landscaping company can revive a dead lawn and guide you on how to perform year-round maintenance to ensure your grass remains green and vibrant.
