Having a lush, vibrant and well-manicured landscape to show off is what many homeowners dream of. But it can be difficult to achieve, especially if you don’t have a natural green thumb to begin with. The good news is, it can be done with the right amount of nurturing and dedication. To help you achieve your dream lawn, we’re compiled our top tips in this lawn care guide below.
Take Care of It Year-Round
One of the main factors for getting a beautiful-looking lawn in the summer is taking the necessary steps throughout the year to give it the best chance at surviving and growing thick and healthy.
Here are some essential steps to perform for each season:
Spring: Mowing, controlling weeds, fertilizing
Summer: Controlling pests, mowing, watering regularly, applying light dose of fertilizer
Fall: Aerating the lawn, adding fertilizer, applying grass seed, mowing and watering, controlling weeds, raking away leaves
Winter: Avoid walking on it, rake up heavy debris
Aerate the Lawn if Soil Is Tightly Compacted
Any lawn that has endured a good amount of foot traffic during the winter months will likely need to be aerated. Too much activity and weight placed on the grass during the winter can result in tightly compacted soil which prevents sunlight, nutrients and water from reaching the grass roots. Aeration adds holes throughout the turf to help remediate this. If your lawn does need aerating, wait until the end of summer to do it.
Dethatch Lawn
Once the winter is gone, there’s usually some form of damage left behind, and most lawns end up with a thick layer of dead grass from the previous year. Start by using a rake across the lawn to dethatch or remove that layer. You can also use a dethatcher for this process. Make sure you do this gently to avoid damage.
Add Plenty of Grass Seed
If you have a dog in the family or if there was a lot of activity happening on the lawn over the last few months, chances are you have some bare patches left behind. You can use grass seed to fix this. We recommend starting with a fertilizer that has slow-releasing nitrogen. Then add a generous amount of grass seed, focusing on those patches and adding more throughout the entire lawn. It will generally take about five weeks before you start to see the new growth shoot up.
Add Compost to Nourish Lawn
Spring is ideal for applying a natural fertilizer like compost. Sprinkle a light coat over the grass to add more nutrients and nitrogen back into the soil. This will help the grass seed grow stronger too.
Water It Properly
Watering the lawn is crucial, but it’s important to do it the right way. Otherwise, it can end up damaging the grass roots. The trick is to water your lawn deeply so the water can effectively hydrate the roots. So instead of watering multiple times each day, water the grass every second or third day, aiming for about two inches of water with each session.
Mow It Properly
Many homeowners have a tendency to fire up the lawnmower without performing any maintenance on it or adjusting the settings first. Before mowing, make sure that the blades are sharp since dull ones can add more stress to the grass when they are bluntly cut. Also, set your mower so that it won’t cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade. Any lower than that can do more harm than good.
Consult Lawn Care Professionals
Even with your own DIY tricks and best efforts, getting the lawn to look just right can still be challenging. When in doubt, consult with lawn care professionals who know what they’re doing and can take the guesswork out of the equation. This way you can achieve your dream lawn without all of the work involved.
When you need professionals to take over the work, reach out to us at Dependable Lawn for amazing lawn care services.