Are you one of the 81% of Americans who has a lawn? A lawn not only makes your garden look great but provides oxygen and absorbs pollution from the air.
Lush, thick, healthy, green grass springs to mind when someone mentions the word lawn. The reality for many of us is a scorched, dry, patchy mess!
It is so easy to mess up your lawn care. But with a few handy types, you will know how to take care of your lawn in no time. Beautiful lush grass, here we come!
1. How to Take Care of Your Lawn: Use a Sharp Mower
If you use a mower with a blunt blade, you will end up dragging the grass. This rips it rather than cuts it and will lead to problems. Your grass may end up yellow and will require more water and nutrients to keep it healthy.
Another pro mowing tip: leave your lawn a little taller in summer. This will help to maintain good soil health and stop the lawn from drying out.
You can find out more about the specifics of mowing your lawn in a homeowners guide.
2. Water Your Lawn Properly
Want to know how to get a green lawn?
One of the biggest mistakes people make with lawn maintenance is overwatering. Try to resist the urge to water too much. Overwatering can clog the soil and stunt your lawn’s growth.
Your lawn needs about 1 inch of water a week, although it depends on your soil type. As a general rule, sandy soils require more, and clay, hard to drain soils, needs less.
Try not to shallow water your lawn with a sprinkler. This won’t encourage deep root growth. In the long term, this will mean you have to water more often. When watering, make sure the soil is moistened a few inches deep.
It’s better to water in the morning as it gives the lawn time to drain and dry out in the sun.
3. Let the Lawn Air
From time to time, you need to let the air get to your lawn. You can do this by making small holes in the soil. If you let oxygen get to the roots, they will grow healthier and better respond to water and nutrients.
4. Remove the Weeds
As well as looking unsightly, weeds take nutrients from your lawn. Remove weeds from your lawn by hand or with a hoe. Make sure you pull up the whole weed, including the roots.
You may also want to apply a herbicide if you have a big problem with weeds. Did you know, if you keep the length of your lawn a little longer, it can help protect it from the spread of weed seeds.
5. Reseed
Landscaping for beginners! Reseed your lawn if you have bald patches or areas that are thinning, plant fresh seeds. Even if your lawn looks healthy, you can put a few seeds down every year to keep it looking its best.
Get Your Lawn in Shape
You now have the recipe for an award-winning lawn and know precisely how to take care of your lawn. If you aren’t confident about your ability to take care of your lawn, you can always hire professional lawn services to take care of it for you.
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