Summer is the perfect time to show off that healthy lawn of yours! In order to make sure your lawn is up to standards, follow these easy lawn maintenance guidelines and you’ll have a beautiful green yard that will make all of your neighbors jealous!
1. Prevent weeds before they come up
Use a pre-emergent product to eliminate weeds by stopping their seeds from sprouting. Of course, there’s some planning involved here, pre-emergent herbicides are only effective before the weeds have sprouted. Creating a lawn maintenance schedule before spring arrives can be a huge help! Don’t want to go out and buy a manufactured herbicide and instead looking for a natural herbicide? Try corn gluten!
2. Never mow your lawn too short
Mowing your lawn too short can actually damage the grass. Wonder why your grass turns a yellow-brown color when you mow too low? That’s because the grass is using energy stored in its roots instead of getting energy from photosynthesis in the leaf. The general rule is to cut ⅓ of your grass and never more. Let a professional mow your lawn and keep your lawn the perfect height all summer!
3. Water your lawn in the morning
This is the best time to water the lawn because the sun will help with drying the grass. Watering at night can actually create diseases in the grass as there will be prolonged moisture. The roots need water, but your lawn shouldn’t have standing water on it for too long. Creating a lawn maintenance schedule will also help you keep track of when to water your lawn.
4. Mow your lawn frequently
One of the most important things for a healthy lawn is a regular lawn care schedule. As long as the grass is growing, lawns should be mowed pretty frequently. During peak periods of growth a lawn could be mowed up to twice a week. The length will vary depending on what type of grass is growing in your yard, but generally speaking 2.5 to 3 inches is a healthy height. Remember that you should only be taking off 1/3 the height of grass each mow, and grass can grow 2 to 6 inches every month. At 2 inches per month, that means you should be mowing at least every 10 days!
5. Remove any debris that might be on your lawn
This includes any leaves, pine cones, or twigs. They should be removed because when they are on the lawn they can block sunlight which would hurt the growing grass. A clean lawn is easier to mow and keep healthy. A healthy lawn is much easier to enjoy! (Of course a pile of leaves is always good fun for the kids).
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6. Give your lawn some food
Make sure to apply either liquid or granular fertilizer at least once a year. Try not to overfeed, though, as this could result in fungal problems and weak growth. There are plenty of apps and resources for helping you figure out when and how much to feed your lawn. A lawn maintenance schedule will also help you plan out when to feed your yard, and if you keep the schedule for a while you can see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to different fertilizers.
7. Test your soil
If there seems to be a real problem, testing your soil can help you determine the precise level of pH and the amount of necessary nutrients like nitrogen in your soil. These terms a little over your head? This would be a great opportunity to look into professional yard maintenance services.
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