Take Care Of Your Lawn: 6 Things You Need To Start Doing

Does your lawn lack the green luster of your neighbors? Can you just not seem to get rid of pesky weeds? Good lawn care requires an effective combination of several strategies. 

Everything from routine maintenance to meeting your lawn’s specific needs is important to think about. You want to make sure you’re protecting your grass from plant and animal invasions. You also want to ensure that you are giving it the right food and nutrients it needs to thrive.

It’s not too late to adjust your lawn care approach to be more like the professionals at Yourgreenpal. Here are some ways to make the best of your yard. From small changes to larger tasks, you can create the best lawn on the block.

1. Mowing Correctly

Simply mowing your yard is important to make your lawn look nice. However, the methods you use when cutting the grass are important to its health. The timing and tools for your mowing are also important. 

It’s important to keep your lawnmower maintained well for the best cut. You should have your mower blades sharpened before each season. This allows the sharpest cut through your grass to ensure you don’t tear and fray the fragile grass blades. 

Mow around the borders and sidewalks then cut in straight lines back in forth across your yard. Overlapping each stroke by a few inches ensures an even cut. Try to switch the direction of your lines each time you cut to avoid making ruts in the yard with your mower wheels and to encourage your grass to grow straight.

Set your mower to a higher setting to avoid cutting your grass too low. This encourages strong grass and more extensive root systems. This may require you to mow more often, especially during rainy seasons, but it will pay off in a healthier, greener lawn.

Mowing in the morning when the grass is dewy can lead to a messy, clogged mower and doesn’t allow for a consistent cut. Cutting your grass at the peak of the day exposes your grass to damaging hot sun and temperatures. Try to mow late in the day when the grass is usually the driest and temperatures tend to be milder.

2. Watering Smartly

It may be necessary to regularly water your grass, especially if you live in a hot and dry climate. 

However, it’s important to time your watering carefully. It’s also essential to your lawn’s health that you water it properly. 

It’s best to water grass early before the hot sun of midday. Calm, cool mornings are the perfect condition to prevent water droplets from being blown by the wind or vaporized before they hit the surface of the lawn. This also gives the roots the best opportunity to absorb the water before it evaporates. 

It’s important to water less often but to water deeply. Try to water only two or three times a week. Water for long enough each time that the moisture can reach even the deepest roots. Use a screwdriver to make sure the water has reached at least six inches deep into the soil.

A sprinkler system with a timer can be a convenient option. Set it to water in the morning a few times a week so your lawn gets an inch or two of water, especially during dry periods. You can also use a quality sprinkler that attaches to your hose, but it’s important to make sure it can reach all areas of your yard. 

3. Testing the pH

Your soil pH can give you some clues about the type of nutrients it needs. Testing is simple and can help you develop a more effective lawn care plan. It can help you create a greener, more weed-free lawn. 

You can purchase a testing kit online or at a hardware store and follow the directions. You can also use simple, household ingredients to test your lawn’s pH. Dig up the soil a few inches below your lawn and add water to make a paste and place it in two bowls. 

Add vinegar to one sample to see if it fizzes. If so, your soil is most likely alkaline. Stir baking soda into the other sample. If that one starts to foams, your lawn is probably acidic. 

Correcting your lawn’s pH can make it healthier and stronger. It will be able to more easily absorb nutrients and grow thicker. It will also make it less susceptible to weeds. 

You can treat your lawn to achieve a more neutral, grass-friendly pH level. Ground limestone can help correct over-acidic lawns. If your lawn is alkaline, you can help adjust the pH level with a lawn food high in sulfur. 

4. Controlling Weeds

Weeds can be invasive, frustrated, and unsightly. Preventing them gives you a head start on a great lawn. Treating existing weeds effectively is important to prevent their spread. 

Your lawn care company can work with you to create a plan that meets the needs of your yard. This will likely include several treatments throughout the season, each suitable for specific temperatures and conditions. They will feed your lawn to make it healthier as well as treat, kill, and prevent weed growth. 

You can also choose to control weeds on your own. It’s essential to apply a pre-emergent early in the spring before weeds start to sprout. Some of the stronger weeds will still breakthrough. It’s important to spot treat them and possibly apply weed control to the whole yard throughout the season to prevent spreading.

A lush lawn not only looks great, but it also prevents weeds. The best defense against unwanted plants is thick, healthy grass. This forms a barrier between the seeds and the soil, stopping them from taking root. 

Feeding your lawn is the best way to strengthen it. Your lawn care company can treat your grass with fertilizers throughout the season. You can also choose to apply it on your own about four times a year. Look for treatments designed for early spring, late spring, summer, and fall.

5. Getting Rid of Unwanted Pests

Unwanted animals and insects can wreak havoc on a lawn. A small problem can quickly turn into a huge one. It’s important to make your lawn an unwelcome environment for these pests. 

Moles and voles can dig tunnels under your lawn, making it uneven and destroying root systems. They are also expert hiders, easily flying under the radar until they have created a huge problem. Keeping your yard free of debris can make these rodents look for a more hospitable place for hiding. Should an infestation arise, traps can be used to bait and relocate the animals. 

Insects may be tiny but they can cause large scale damage to your yard. Keeping them at bay is important for a healthy lawn. Apply treatments for grubs to keep them from destroying the roots of your grass. You can also treat surface insects like fleas and ticks to prevent them from attacking animals and people in your yard.

6. Allowing the Soil to Breathe

Aerating your lawn is important to create an environment for healthy roots. It encourages root growth by providing them the air they need to thrive. It also loosens the soil so the grass can get hydrated more efficiently. 

The best time to aerate is at the height of your grass growing season. When the plugs of dirt are removed from your yard, the quickly growing grass can spread to cover them. This is also an ideal opportunity to overseed to thicken your lawn even more.

Conclusion

Your lawn requires consistent maintenance to be effective. Getting out ahead of any problems and being proactive will save you frustration, time, and money. A good lawn care routine will make your grass healthy and resilient. 
Mowing correctly and watering smartly are small things that can make a big impact. Making sure you have a strong weed control and fertilization plan in place will make your grass green and lush. These methods can give you the picture-perfect lawn you’ve been dreaming of.

About The Author: Gabe Nelson is a content specialist of over 7 years of experience, currently working with 2localgals.com. Just out of high school he set off crab fishing on the Bering sea in Alaska. From there he went back home to finish his college degree at the University of Montana. He has a passion and keen understanding when it comes to house cleaning inside and out. He has written hundreds of content pieces in numerous niches. Currently, he lives in Missouri with his wife and kids enjoying the peaceful town of St. Joseph.

Photo by Daniel Watson on Unsplash