Introduction
Lawn care can be difficult. But if you know the basics and follow these tips, you’ll have a beautiful yard all year long!
1. Mow your lawn to the correct height
- Mow your lawn to the correct height:
The first step in keeping a healthy, green lawn is to mow it at the right height. Cutting your grass too short will result in brown spots and bare patches, while cutting it too long can leave you with an overgrown mess that looks bad and doesn’t grow as well.
The best way to find out what the right height is for your grass type is by talking with someone who has a similar type of grass or looking on the back of seed packets for recommendations (just make sure you’re using seed from a reputable source). If you can’t find this information online or via other sources, take some time off from walking outside so that you don’t accidentally trample any sections of grass while testing different heights—and then just wait until they grow back!
2. Aeration
Aerating is essentially the process of opening up your lawn’s soil to allow for water and nutrients to reach the grass roots. This can be done manually or with a machine.
The benefits of aeration are:
- Improved drainage
- Improved root growth which leads to stronger, healthier grass
- Allows air and moisture into the soil so that it doesn’t become compacted on top
3. Fertilize in the fall
- Fertilize in the fall
Fertilizing your lawn in the fall is important because it allows the nutrients to be absorbed by the roots of your grass and it allows them to grow all winter long. This will help your grass stay healthy and green during these cold months, as well as going into spring when you want it to have lots of energy for a beautiful season ahead of us!
4. Early spring weed control is a must
Early spring weed control is a must. While it’s true that many weeds cannot germinate until the soil warms up, there are some that can be controlled by applying herbicides in early spring.
Herbicides are chemical compounds that kill unwanted plants or inhibit their growth. You may have to apply herbicides more than once over time to get rid of all the weeds in your lawn, but it’s worth the effort!
- Organic methods use naturally occurring substances like vinegar, salt and baking soda to eradicate weeds from your lawn and garden beds. These materials are cheaper than buying commercial products containing chemicals such as glyphosate (commonly known as Roundup), however they’re not quite as effective at killing off large patches of grassy invaders such as dandelions or chickweed on their own without regular applications over multiple weeks.* Chemical methods utilize synthetic compounds like 2-4-D which are absorbed by plant foliage via roots or leaves where they kill cells causing them eventually die off altogether while organic/natural ones don’t work as quickly if at all so only really recommended when dealing with small areas like flower beds around your home where people won’t walk through regularly; but even then I’d recommend starting off with an organic product first then move onto something stronger if needed later on down road because ultimately what matters most is maintaining healthy plants rather than just eradicating those who’ve already taken root within yours.”
5. Apply pesticides early in the morning or late in the evening
- Apply pesticides early in the morning or late in the evening.
Pesticides should be applied when it is cool outside, preferably between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., and again after 4 p.m., six to eight hours later (though this will vary depending on which pesticide you’re using). This helps prevent damage to plants that could occur if they were exposed to the sun for too long while still wet from being sprayed with pesticides, as well as reduces the amount of water needed by your lawn (due to evaporation).
Make sure there is no wind when applying pesticides; otherwise, you may be wasting your money because they won’t reach their intended target area and could drift onto neighboring properties or into bodies of water nearby—which could lead to contamination issues if other animals come into contact with them!
6. Clean up leaves as they fall
Once the leaves have fallen, it’s important to clean them up. Leaves can clog up your lawnmower, sprinkler system, gutters and rainwater collection system. They can also clog up your rain barrel if you still use one.
7. Plant trees and shrubs in your yard
One of the best ways to improve the appearance of your lawn is by planting trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs are beautiful additions to any landscape; they come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures that can add elegance to any yard. They also provide shade from hot summer suns which helps make your yard more pleasant for you and your family members during those hot summer months. In addition to providing shade throughout the summer months, trees also help with erosion problems in many cases because they help keep soil intact through heavy rains or strong winds.
8. Seeding your lawn is an important task that should be done in the fall
Seeding your lawn is an important task that should be done in the fall. Fall seeding will give your grass a chance to establish a root system before the winter and prevents winterkill, which occurs when plants lose their leaves and die because of extended periods of cold temperatures.
For best results, allow the seed to sit for at least 3 weeks before mowing. This will allow it to start germinating and grow its roots into soil around it before you need to cut it again.
9. Watering your lawn shouldn’t be done in the middle of summer and it’s best to water in the morning when it’s cooler outside.
Watering your lawn shouldn’t be done in the middle of summer and it’s best to water in the morning when it’s cooler outside. Why? Because if you water at night, most of your water will evaporate before it reaches the roots of the grass. If you don’t water enough, then your grass will die and turn brown (called “plant stress”).
Watering in the morning also reduces disease risk because it provides less opportunity for fungus growth as well as reducing runoff and evaporation loss.
10. Don’t leave grass clippings on your lawn after you mow, pickup your grass clippings and bag them so you don’t have to clean up in the spring.
You may be used to seeing your grass clippings in the trash after you mow, but there are a number of good reasons to keep them out of the landfill. Grass clippings will decompose and become part of your lawn’s soil. If you have leaf-blowers, power mowers or self-propelled mowers with a rear bagger attachment you can use them to collect your grass clippings and then store them until they are ready for composting or adding to your garden bed’s topsoil.
You can also consider adding these tips into a spring cleanup checklist:
- Check that all gutters and downspouts are clear so rainwater doesn’t pool on the roof; if necessary, clean out any debris building up in those areas.
- Drain water from hoses so they don’t freeze during winter weather conditions. Be sure not to leave any kinks in hoses when draining them because this could cause leaks over time due to pressure buildup within the hose itself after being frozen shut which could lead towards burst pipes later on down the road once it thaws again next springtime season begins again – so check all connections before pulling back inside garage doors/garage doors openers!
Lawn care can be a big ordeal but if you follow these tips, it shouldn’t take up a whole lot of time or be too much work
Lawn care can be a big ordeal. However, if you follow these tips, it shouldn’t take up a whole lot of time or be too much work.
- Don’t take up too much of your time. Lawn care should not be a hassle! Make sure to do things in small increments so that they don’t add up and become overwhelming. You should also make sure that the tasks you choose won’t cause any potential harm to your lawn or plants (and yourself).
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our lawn care tips blog. We hope you found it useful and will be able to use some of the tips we shared in this blog to create a beautiful looking lawn.