Lawn Care Tips
1. Know the costs of caring for your lawn.
Caring for your lawn can cost you some money. You may need to purchase equipment for it, as well as other things necessary to make your lawn healthy and beautiful. Check out the prices of the equipment or tools that you need, so that you know how much money you may need to spend for it.
2. Take care of your lawn mower.
A mower is one of the most important tools that you need in caring for your lawn. Thus, it is important to take good care of it. With that, you need to make sure that you follow proper operational procedures in using it. Aside from that, you should also practice proper maintenance, so that its quality would not decline.
3. Read more books about lawn care.
Gathering more information about lawn care is essential in order to become more effective in it. One of the things that you can do to achieve that is to read more books about lawn care. There are lots of books that you can purchase for it, aside from the fact that you may also be able to borrow some of them from your friends.
4. Learn new things everyday.
Caring for your lawn is not as difficult as you may think it is. This is true, especially if you are going to try and learn as much as you can about it. Learning new things about it each day can actually be done by simply reading magazines about caring for your lawn. On top of that, you can also visit blogs and websites through the internet, which showcase countless tips on lawn care.
5. Think about your lawn just before going to bed.
If you have just started setting up your lawn, it is best if you can think about it just before you get some sleep. This would make you more motivated in doing the necessary things to care for it the following day. With that, you would be happy to wake up early, and start working on your lawn in the morning.
6. Prepare all the things that you need.
You may not be able to take care of your lawn properly, without preparing the things that you need for it. Thus, it is very important that you have the necessary things that can help you in caring for your lawn. Aside from that, make sure that they are all situated in one place in your garage, so that you can easily find them.
7. Don’t hesitate to tell your family about what you are trying to achieve.
In trying to have a beautiful lawn, you should not hesitate in making your family aware of what you are trying to achieve. This is because, they may be able to help you out with it. Aside from that, it would also ensure that they would be more careful each time they visit your lawn.
8. Buying a lawn mower.
There is no need to purchase the most expensive lawn mower that you can find in the market. Since lawn mowers vary not just in prices, but also in terms of their sizes, you have to consider the size of your lawn in order to come up with a sound decision. Choose a mower that would be best for the kind of lawn that you have, instead of looking at the prices.
9. Learn how to improve the condition of your soil.
Always keep in mind that one of the biggest factors that can affect the beauty of your lawn is the health of the soil. Thus, you have to find out ways on how to improve its condition. On top of that, you can also hire an expert who can check the soil’s present condition, so that you would know what to do to improve it.
10. Planting new grass.
Planting new grass into your lawn is not a very difficult procedure. One of the things that you need to do for it is to loosen up the soil. To achieve that, you can make use of a dirt rake, and rake the part of the lawn where you want to plant your new grass into. Spread the grass evenly to make it look good and balance.
11. Drink coffee in front of your lawn.
After eating breakfast, you should allocate some time in drinking coffee while sitting in front of your lawn.
When you do this, you would be able to appreciate the work and time that you have invested into it. Aside from that, it would also inspire you more to make it even more beautiful than it is.
12. Get your spouse involved.
Make caring for your lawn more fun and exciting by getting your spouse involved with it. For sure, your spouse gives her full support on your newfound hobby, and will do what she can to help you with it. With that, you can make caring for your lawn an activity that you can always share, which can bring you closer to each other, aside from improving the condition of your lawn.
13. Test your lawn’s soil for its pH.
The ideal pH level of a lawn is between 6.5 to 7.0, which means that it is slightly acidic. If it is higher than that though, then you need to control its pH level by sprinkling lime onto the soil. On the other hand, if your soil is not acidic enough, then you can use sulfur for it. Purchase a pH tester soon, so that you can check it out.
14. Loamy soils.
Loamy soil can help you have a very attractive lawn in just a short period of time. This is because, it is the most ideal type of soil. You would know if you have loamy soil if you can see that it has a good mixture of silt, clay, and sand. It is not too compact, which allows better air and nutrient flow.
15. Compacted soil.
If your soil has too much clay in it, then it can become compact in no time, especially after a few days of raining. This will prevent better assimilation of nutrients into the plants, which is not good for the lawn. With that, if you found out that there is too much clay, then you should approach an expert about it, so that you can apply the right solution.
16. Water appropriately.
If you have just planted new seeds into the ground, you need to make sure that you water it appropriately.
It is best if the soil around the seeds is kept moist with water. However, you should be careful not to apply too much water, since the seeds can drown because of it.
17. The process of aeration.
Aeration of the soil is usually done prior to fertilizing as well as top dressing. This process can also be applied for compacted soils. This method involves lifting small plugs of turf from the soil in order to improve its condition. To do that, you can hire someone for it, or just simply rent an aerator.
18. Don’t choose grass that is not locally grown in your location.
You need to choose a type of grass that is locally grown in your area, if you want to have a healthy lawn. This is because, grasses vary in terms of the climate that they prefer. Aside from that, different grasses also require different amounts of water, as well as nutrients. Thus, make sure that you plant grass that is suited for your environment, so that you won’t get disappointed.
19. Compost and grass clippings.
Compost and grass clippings are organic matters, which can improve the condition of your soil. It lightens your soil if it is heavy due to clay. Aside from that, if your soil is sandy, it can also build humus. With that, it is best to compost and disperse grass clippings in different areas of your lawn, to make soil healthier.
20. Take care of the weeds.
To start taking care of your lawn, you have to get rid of weeds first. This is to make sure that your lawn would only have grass that you want to have in it. Aside from that, it can also ensure that your grass would grow healthy, since there are no other species that would try to compete with it.
21. See that there are no holes or low spots.
Holes in your lawn, as well as low spots, can cause drainage problems. Aside from that, they can also accumulate water, which can attract mosquitoes towards your place. Thus, before replanting, you should see to it that you fill up any low spots or holes in your lawn. This may only take you a couple of hours, and it is not a very hard thing to achieve.
22. Choosing the right grass.
When it comes to choosing the grass for your lawn, there are certain things that you need to consider for it. Apart from making sure that the grass can easily adapt in your place, you should also think about the shade in your lawn, how you are going to use it, how much work you can invest in it, and such. Do this, so that you can have the right grass in your lawn.
23. Avoid cheap blends of seed.
There may be times when you can see very affordable blends of seed in certain garden stores. However, you need to take note that in most cases, such types of seeds may no longer be in good quality. Thus, choose those that are regularly priced, since they can provide you with better quality grass.
24. You need to seed at the right rate.
When it comes to seeding, you should make sure to read and follow the instructions for it. You do not want to place too many seeds in one spot, since it can make seedlings compete with each other for the nutrients that they can derive from the soil. It is better to seed lesser than the recommended rate, instead of going beyond it.
25. Mowing.
Mowing should be done regularly, since it can help in maintaining the health of your grass. However, it is not recommended to cut your grasses too short. This is because, it can expose the surface roots, which is not good. Aside from that, it can also make the soil dry faster.
26. Watering.
Watering your lawn thoroughly is a good idea, since it can develop root systems that are deep. Aside from that, it can also help in making your lawn drought resistant. Just make sure that you water the lawn once it has already dried out, so that you won’t be doing it excessively.
27. When to water your lawn.
If you notice, most lawns are watered early in the morning. This is because, this is the time of the day, when less water is lost due to evaporation. In other words, your grass would be able to absorb most of the water that you provide to them. Watering in the afternoon is also ideal, but it would be better to do it in the morning.
28. Thatch buildup should be controlled.
It is important to control the buildup of thatch in your lawn. Thatch is actually the above-soil runner accumulation, which is propagated by the lawn’s grass. The layer of the thatch should not go beyond half an inch. It is important to control it, since thatch can become a barrier between the grass roots and the nutrients.
29. Know your grass.
There are certain types of grass that need frequent watering, while others can go for several days without hydration. Thus, you need to know the needs of your grass. For example, if you have Kentucky bluegrass, you have to make sure that you can water it in 5 to 7 days. On the other hand, if you have carpet grass, it can actually thrive without water for 8 to 12 days.
30. The benefits of a reel mower.
Real mowers are used by lots of people these days, because of the benefits that it can offer. These types of mowers actually shear grass instead of tearing them. On top of that, they are also quite, which means that you won’t be disturbing your neighbors when you use it. Moreover, it does not pollute the environment and is more affordable to maintain.
31. There is no need to clean grass clippings in your lawn.
When you cut the grass or mow it, there is no need to take the grass clippings from your lawn. You can simply leave it on your lawn, since they can provide lots of nutrients such as nitrogen, water, and phosphorus. It is an organic fertilizer and it would not cause thatch.
32. Know the weeds.
The growth of different weeds in your lawn can indicate different things. For example, if you can see clover and medic, then you should take it as a sign that your soil lacks nitrogen. On the other hand, if you see dandelions, then it means that your soil is too acidic. By taking note of these facts, you can properly adjust the condition of your soil.
33. Make sure that your mower’s blades are sharp.
The sharpness of your mover blades can actually affect the health of your lawn. It is important that the blades are sharp, so that