Lawn Mowers

Lawn care 101 – we all want to have a lush green lawn with no weeds that looks like a golf course and does not have any weeds. Some of us do not know how to make our lawns look like this and some people just do not want to do the work. They feel that it is too much work and they are also overwhelmed by what they perceive as spending a lot of money and time. We decided to write this post to try to illustrate just how easy it is to have a nice lawn, maybe not like the golf course, or the neighbors down the street that is perfect. A lawn that you can be proud of without doing a great deal of work or spending a great deal of money. We are calling this post lawn care 101 because of it.

The Basics of Lawn Care – Lawn Care 101

Water, fertilizer, dealing with weeds, thickening, and lawn cutting are the basics of keeping your lawn looking great. We will cover these in more detail.

Watering your lawn is important to keep it healthy, however, there are proper ways to water your lawn and there are bad ways. When you water the lawn, at least one inch of water should be sprinkled on the lawn. The water penetrates to the roots and helps the roots grow deeply. Water once a week when it is dry, and less often if you have a good rain to keep your lawn looking great. Light watering promotes surface root growth making the lawn more susceptible to dry weather.

Fertilize your lawn at least 4 times a year. Early spring, early summer, late summer, and late fall are the usual times to add fertilizer to your lawn. Different types of fertilizer are used to promote the growth of the lawn, root growth, etc.  Most garden stores will be able to assist you in purchasing the right kind of fertilizer for your particular lawn and the time of year. Use a spreader to spread the fertilizer evenly across the lawn and avoid dropping too much in one place. This could burn your lawn and even kill the grass. Follow the instructions on the package for watering etc.

Dealing with weeds is a bit more complex.

Some fertilizers still have pesticides in them depending on where you live. Use a weed and feed product to fertilize the lawn and to kill the weeds at the same time. When you are spreading the weed and feed fertilizer, be careful. Avoid the material going into gardens and getting on plants that might be susceptible to the pesticides. In these areas you may have to use a hand spreader or a liquid spray to be more accurate, where the pesticide is being placed. If you are taking an organic approach, consumers will have to pull weeds by hand to get rid of them. A few minutes each week may be all that is required once you get ahead of all of the weeds.

Thickening your lawn is another way of keeping it healthy. Spread grass seed in the spring around your lawn focusing on areas where the grass has thinned out. Also, spread high-quality earth with a sandy loan mixture over your lawn as well once the grass seed has been spread. Water your lawn to soak in the earth and the grass seed and help the grass seed to germinate. Make sure that the weather is warm enough to germinate the lawn seed and avoid placing fertilizer on your lawn for a few weeks to avoid the fertilizer burning the grass seed as it begins to grow.

Mowing your lawn

Mowing your lawn should be completed on a regular basis. Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass length when you are mowing to avoid damaging the grass. Always make sure your blade is sharp to avoid tearing the grass as well. Using a mulching lawnmower makes your job of cutting the lawn easier. You do not need to bag the grass cuttings. A self-propelled lawnmower is also advantage. Especially if you have a large lawn or have to mow your lawn more often.

Once you have your lawn in shape, the work will be minimized to just mowing the lawn. Also watering and 10 minutes a week pulling weeds. You will have a great lawn that does not take a lot of time and effort.

Save

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.