Lawns are a great way to enhance the appearance and value of your home. Like most people, you have probably inherited lawn-care ideas from family and friends so you think you know what to do for the best-looking lawn. What many people do not realize is that back in the ’50s, chemical pesticides were generously used to an extent that there is now legislation to prevent overuse. A large number of chemical pesticides are still in use, but thankfully, many American citizens are gradually becoming concerned about the negative impact of chemicals on their gardens and immediate ecosystem. This is driving many homeowners to learn safer ways to keep their lawns fresh and green. Greener methods are quickly becoming the go-to solution for lawn care. Good lawn-care practice constitutes regular mowing, watering, feeding, and fertilizing. When the soil content is carefully monitored, then the health of your lawn will improve, naturally resistant to weeds and pests.
Keeping Your Lawn Fresh and Green
- Watering: During the summer and warmer months throughout the year, water the lawn more frequently. This may seem obvious but there is a reason for stating this simple fact. Overwatering can easily lead to rotting roots, so you need to be careful about how frequently you water the lawn. Under-watering can lead to temporary browning of grass during the summer months, but the grass will quickly recover once it starts raining again.
If you have just planted new grass, you may have to water the lawn on a regular basis, ideally once a week. Using a sprinkler system set to water a few times a week is the most prudent way to keep the grass moist at all times. It is up to you how much you want to invest in your lawn, but a healthy lawn is a worthwhile investment for every home. - Fertilizing: Feeding the soil is directly related to the soil condition of your lawn. You may want to incorporate the help of a professional to determine how much soil feed or fertilizer you should use at any point in time. Depending on your geographical location, certain types of fertilizers will be more effective, and this is where the help of a professional can help you choose the right fertilizer. Additionally, if you leave the grass clippings on the soil on a schedule, then that further helps enrich the nutrients of the soil. You should plan to use fertilizer at least once a year. Typically, summer and spring soil feeds are very high in nitrogen for the growth of the grass. Don’t forget to manually water your lawn within three days’ of feeding if it does not rain.
- Mowing: Throughout the year except for winter, you can mow the lawn whenever the grass grows high. Depending on the type of grass you have planted, and depending on the soil condition and weather, the grass on your lawn will grow at its own pace. Be sure to keep an eye on its growth and develop a regimen for lawn mowing, based on the needs of your lawn.
You may find that you need to mow more often during the spring since this is when plant life springs upward and outward. While mowing, use some containers to collect all the clippings for composting. Between summer and autumn, the growth rate of the grass varies widely, so be sure to adjust your mowing schedule accordingly. During this time, once a week is usually pretty good. - Aerating: Aerating enables loosening of the soil and, and prevents thatch buildup. Aerate when the soil is moist. Ideally, this will be after a rain or after you have watered the lawn. You will usually aerate when the grass is growing. You can aerate any time between spring and autumn, but never aerate when the soil is dry and hard. The aerators will not penetrate the soil layers properly.
- Weeding: Generally, you will need to have the soil’s pH checked to determine when to start weeding. Typically, the more acidic the soil, the greater the chance of weed growth. You can use any standard weed killer product to deal with weeds between the summer and autumn months. During winter, you can use some calcium nutrients to check the weed growth. You can also manually uproot weeds or fungus during the winter months, or hire a gardener or neighborhood kid to help with this.
- Seasonal care: In the summer, you will need to increase your mowing frequency to keep the grass looking neat. Very hot and dry weather can affect the growth and appearance of the grass during the autumn months, the rate of growth will gradually decrease and you may only need to mow once every other week during this time.
Conclusion
Regularly trimming the edges will keep the lawn looking neat and healthy. In the winter, do not feed the grass as this can lead to premature growth and destruction of the lawn. During spring, the grass will automatically start growing again, and make sure you allow the lawn to recover after the winter. Then you can begin to start trimming the lawn or mow once or twice in a two-week span.
