7 Lawn Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid in Jacksonville, FL

Closely shorn grass lawns became popular during the 17th century in England. Back then, only the wealthy landowners could hire the laborers needed to tend the grass so it was a sign of wealth and status.

These days, a lush lawn is still somewhat of a status symbol. Yet, so many people make simple mistakes that can negatively impact the health and vitality of their lawn.

Here are the top 7 lawn maintenance mistakes people make with their lawns. Learn what they are and avoid making the same errors.

1. Cutting the Grass Wrong

One of the most common mistakes of lawn maintenance is cutting the grass wrong.

Cutting your grass too short is problematic for several reasons. When the grass is too short, it is unable to absorb enough sunlight to get the nutrients it needs.

Even though you may think cutting short means mowing the lawn less often, all it really does it make your lawn vulnerable.

Also, when you cut your grass it is important to use sharp blades. Dull lawn mowing equipment rips through the grass leaving the blades with jagged edges. These edges, in turn, can go brown.

Get into the habit of sharpening your lawnmower blades at the beginning of every spring. Check your blades again halfway through the mowing season. You may need to sharpen the blades again at this point.

If your lawn has rocks or you regularly scalp the ground, you will need to sharpen your blades more frequently.

Another lawn cutting mistake many people make is bagging the clippings. When you remove the clippings you are taking away nutrients your lawn needs.

Choose a mulching lawn mower for your lawn instead. That way your grass gets free fertilizer.

2. Watering Problems

The second most common low maintenance mistakes for your Jacksonville lawn is how frequently you water it.

Grass usually needs 1-1.5 inches of water a week. But that doesn’t mean a 10-minute sprinkler job will do it.

When you water the grass for short periods, there isn’t enough time for the deep roots to get water. In fact, a lot of that water will evaporate and never even be absorbed by your lawn.

Usually, a good rule to follow is watering your lawn for 30 minutes.

If you want to be precise, there is a simple way to measure how much water your lawn gets.

Simply place empty jars or cans around your lawn. Turn on your sprinkler for 30 minutes. When you turn the water off, use a ruler to measure how much water is in the can.

Reduce or add more minutes of water to end up with 1 inch of water in your container.

Watering at the wrong time of day is also an issue. Early in the morning before it gets too hot is the best time to water your lawn.

Later in the day, most of your water will get evaporated in the hot sun. You also shouldn’t water your grass at night as that can increase the chance of disease.

3. Incorrect Use of Fertilizer

People can spend a lot of their lawn maintenance budget on fertilizer. Yet, what many don’t understand is that too much fertilizer is bad for the lawn.

Certain types of fertilizer, if used too frequently, can burn the lawn. Burning occurs due to the high concentration of nitrogen in most lawn fertilizers.

Use too much and your lawn will soon be patchy and brown.

A slow-release fertilizer is your best bet to prevent lawn burn. Before you fertilize, it’s important to test the soil so you can replace the minerals your lawn is missing.

4. Fertilizing at the Wrong Time

It’s tricky to know exactly when to fertilize your lawn. It really depends on the type of grass you have.

Your best bet is to check with a local landscape company for their recommendations.

5. Using One Type of Grass Seed

Diversity in grass seed makes for a low-maintenance and healthy lawn.

When you just use one type of grass seed, you are setting yourself up for failure.

It is unlikely that your entire lawn will get the same amount of light and shade throughout the day.

The best thing you can do is buy grass seed that contains a variety of types.

When you do this, you get various types of grass that are then more resilient. Variety also protects your lawn against disease and insects that prey on a particular type of grass.

6. Letting Leaves Stay

Raking your lawn is not a task that people generally enjoy. Yet, it is vital for a healthy lawn.

It is important to remove fallen leaves from your yard shortly after they land. The longer you wait, the higher the risk that they will stick together into a leaf mat.

This leaf mat blocks the sun and can kill your grass. These fallen leaves are also a good breeding ground for fungal diseases.

So, rake your yard regularly during leaf shedding seasons. If you are unable to take care of the leaves on your yard, you can hire yard cleanup services.

7. Failing to Aerate Your Lawn

Not aerating your lawn is another common lawn mistake. Aeration is crucial for maintaining a green and healthy lawn.

Unfortunately, most homeowners never do it.

Aeration basically means poking holes into the soil so the lawn can better absorb water, fertilizer, and other things you add to the lawn like peat moss.

With small lawns, a manual aerator is fine. This is a spiky tool that you can use to poke holes in intervals all along your lawn.

For larger lawns, you can rent a power aerator. This machine looks similar to a lawnmower. You walk behind it as it punches thousands of holes in the lawn in just a few minutes.

Be careful about buried cables in the ground!

Avoid Lawn Maintenance Mistakes For a Healthy Lawn

There you have it! The 7 most common lawn maintenance mistakes people make that destroys their grass.

At Plowz & Mowz, we are committed to helping you find trusted partners for outdoor home services. Enter your zip code now to get started.