Lawn Care Basics

Most home owners take pride in taking care of their lawn and gardens. It's a great feeling knowing you have a healthy, lush looking lawn.  It's also satisfying to know that you take care of your lawn instead of paying some one else to do it. To have a great looking home lawn there are a few things to remember regarding lawn care basics. Once you know the basics and apply them, there is no reason why you can't have a great looking lawn.

Before mowing, you need to clean the lawn. Rake up leaves and debris, and clear the area of unwanted weeds and overgrowth.. If you want a level lawn, and need to get rid of bumps and dips, there are some things that you can do. To get rid of little valleys, fill the holes with topsoil and then add grass seed. Bumps can be removed by using a sharp garden spade to cut an X in the raised area. Peel back the sod and then remove the excess soil before replacing the sod. Cleaning and leveling your lawn will make mowing easier.

To keep the lawn looking good it should be mown regularly. Depending on the climate where you live, and how fast your grass grows, you may have to mow the lawn once every week or once every other week. The lawn mower blade needs to be adjusted so that it does not cut more than one third of the grass’s height. If you cut the grass to short, your lawn will be especially conducive to disease which will result in a terrible looking lawn.

An essentials of lawn care is making sure that your soil doesn't become to compacted beneath the grass. Hard, compacted soil restricts water absorption, and restricts the root growth of the grass. To prevent this it's important to keep the lawn aerated. There are two types of aeration. One is  called “plugging,” where a special device removes clumps of soil, about the size of a finger, from out of the ground. The other kind simply punches holes into the soil. Both methods allow water to seep down better which in turn prevents soil erosion and drying out, as well as providing room for helpful organisms like earthworms to live. Most lawns need to be aerated once every year or two.

While it is possible to grow a healthy lawn without the aid of fertilizers, many people find them helpful. It is important not to apply too much as this can result in the death of your lawn, and is also harmful to the environment as the excess fertilizer is washed away. Fertilizers are usually in liquid or granular form. Liquid fertilizers act fast but need to be applied every two or three weeks. Liquid fertilizer is applied with a hose-end sprayer or by using a watering can. Granules are dry and require that you water the lawn immediately after application. You use hand spreaders or mechanical spreaders to disburse these types of fertilizers. They can last eight to twelve weeks.

 
Fertilizer can be harmful, and it's safer not to let your children play on the lawn for a few days. Make sure that the fertilizer has been absorbed below the surface before allowing yourself or others to play on the grass. Many landscapers prefer not using fertilizers to create a successful lawn

Margarete Abel

Landscape Designer

webmaster@antspants.biz