Is your lawn dry again? Or do you water it so much that you don’t get rid of that sickly, wilted look? We know what it feels like, and it can get pretty obnoxious and frustrating at times. Keeping your lawn healthy and uniform is not too difficult, but it does require some effort and discipline so that it stays nice and healthy through the seasons. Plus, you could be doing the planet a solid according to CNBC. [1]
Of course, taking good care of your lawn also is going to affect the way your house (and to an extent, yourself) is viewed in the eyes of other people such as your neighbors, as well by extension make the value of your real estate go up, not to mention that it is going to make people have an overall great first impression when they pay you a visit, something which is always important as noted by the New York Times. [2]
So then, when to fertilize the lawn? How to mow it? If you have any doubts about the correct maintenance of your lawn, here are some good tips to make your lawn look perfect at any time of the year.
Fertilization
Fertilization perhaps is one of if not the most important part of lawn care, a pivotal aspect of maintaining a healthy, long-lasting, green and shiny lawn. The best time to start fertilizer work is in late winter, just as the warmth of spring begins. Fertilization helps out the lawn in dealing with the stress of mowing and the depletion of nutrients caused by continuous regrowth, increases soil fertility, etc. From the beginning of spring it is advisable to fertilize the lawn every four or five weeks. Your lawn needs nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The amount to be used is indicated on the fertilizer containers.
Mowing
The lawn needs a lot of mowing during the year. Each mowing helps the plants to spread out and cover the ground very thickly. This prevents the grass from developing spikes and consequently withering.
How often should the lawn be cut? Like many questions in gardening, it depends on factors such as climate, orientation, soil type, species that make up the meadow, frequency of watering, etc. What is certain is that the grass should be mowed as soon as it has reached a height of around four to five inches or so. It is not advisable to let it grow more because there could be problems with the mower, especially if it is a spiral cutter. When the grass is mowed, there should be about one inch left from the ground. In other words, use the basic rule of not mowing more than a third of the leaf length in one go.
Irrigation
Irrigation is a key element to having a beautiful lawn, as most lawns are very water-demanding. Thus, you need to know the type of lawn you have and take into account what time of year you are in so that you do not overwater. The important thing is not to do it in the central hours of the day, and not only because at those hours there’s greater evaporation, but to protect the leaves from burns and possible fungal diseases.
The most practical thing is to have an automatic irrigation system, sprinkler or diffusion irrigation, which has several lines of dispersers to provide water to the whole lawn. The sprinklers should overlap at some points to ensure that the whole lawn has sufficient water.
Reseeding
Reseeding bald areas is an easy way to improve the overall appearance of your lawn. Don’t try to put small pieces of grass on bald spots because they don’t root well and dry out very quickly.
Before reseeding, rake the bald areas, removing any and all grass, apply mulch and remove the soil with a hoe. Make sure the seed mixture is the same as the rest of the lawn or as similar as possible. Disperse the seeds evenly and spread a light layer of mulch or worm compost and then water it
If you want to be more drought-resistant, water a little more abundantly and spaced out such that the roots go deeper into the soil and reach the water part of the substrate better.
Ploughing
If the lawn is deteriorated, compacted and not soft and fluffy, it may be because it’s stepped on too much; the solution is plough it. In addition, this problem can be aggravated if the soil is clayey. In lawns that have been seeded a long time ago, this technique will help it to regenerate. It is advisable to plough at least once a year; the best time to do this is at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.
After ploughing, you should carry out a trimming operation, which consists of applying a small amount of sand, mulch or a mixture of both to the lawn, thus filling in the holes with a new substrate. The advice is to water after this operation, so the new substrate will be distributed more easily.
Weeding
The weeds that are most troublesome for most lawns are the perennials and the dandelion-like rosettes, because they resist mowing well. To remove them, use a hand fork, taking care not to break the roots and then firming up the surrounding soil. Then, fill the remaining hole with substrate similar to the rest of the soil. You can spread some seeds from the same mixture, cover them and water.
These are essential tips for anyone looking to better take care of their lawn. However, if you consider that doing so yourself is just not something you want to do, you can always hire someone else to do it for you. This has some benefits of course. Lawn care can get pretty expensive in the short term, while hiring someone to do it will be comparatively cheaper. This is a more appealing prospect if you happen to be a senior of course. Nevertheless, remember to always weigh your options carefully so that you end up making the best decision that you can for yourself and your lawn.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/30/lawn-maintenance-and-why-it-matters-to-the-environment.html
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/garden/how-important-is-a-perfect-lawn-when-youre-selling-your-home.html
