How to care for your lawn
Keeping up a beautiful, healthy lawn all by yourself is not as hard as you might think. In fact, some people find it to be a peaceful, zen-like experience and look forward to the task.
More than 32 million acres of the United States are covered with lawns. This means that professional lawn care is a successful and popular business in the country. But professional assistance is not always necessary.
Armed with the proper tools, techniques and knowledge, you can make your lawn care easy.
Tools of the trade
Lawnmower
The mower you choose to buy will depend on how much you want to spend and how large your lawn is. Lawnmowers can be manually powered, electric powered, or gasoline powered – motorized mowers are recommended for larger yards. If your budget allows, a mulching mower is best; these mowers cut the grass clippings numerous times and return them to the lawn as a fine powder, providing lawns with much-needed food.
Edge trimmer
These inexpensive tools are used to clean up the edges of the lawn – the areas the mower cannot cut. An edger can be electric or gasoline powered. Edging shears can also be used, and are a much more inexpensive choice.
Rake
A rake can be used to scarify the lawn, which involves scratching out dead grass and breaking up the surface. You’ll need your rake in the fall as well to clean up leaves.
Garden fork
This inexpensive tool is used to aerate the lawn (see below).
Hose and sprinkler
If you don’t have a sprinkler system for your lawn, use a hose and sprinkler. Master gardeners will often tell you that the simplest, cheapest sprinkler works best.
Seeds & sod
If you’re planting grass for the first time or you’re re-seeding, it is very importing to plant the correct grass seed: Those in the northern U.S. should plant a “cool season” grass, those in the south should plant “warm season,” and those in the middle of the country should ask a local nursery which grass grows best. The cool-season grasses need to be planted in August, while warm-season grasses should be planted in the spring.
Before laying seed or sod, make sure all weeds on the site are eliminated. Also, till the soil with a rotary tiller.
Instead of seeding, sod can be laid, but it is much more expensive.
Mowing your lawn
Though it seems like a simple chore, proper lawn mowing really helps keep a lawn green and beautiful. Adjust your mower blade and cut the grass two to three inches high. Cutting the grass too short leads to pests and weeds. Also, mow frequently enough so you’re never cutting more than one-third of the grass. Even without a mulching lawn mower, many experts recommend leaving the clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them and throwing them away.
To protect your mower and your grass, mow only dry lawns. Wet grass makes your lawnmower work harder, dulling the blade and putting wear on the engine.
Watering your lawn
Most grass needs about 1.5 inches of water per week, so if rain is scarce, proper watering is required. Water evenly across in the whole lawn in the early morning, and never during the heat of the day. Also, avoid watering too often – it could lead to more weeds.
Of course, check local watering regulations and only water as much and as often as is allowed.
Fertilizer
Good fertilizing makes greener, stronger, and healthier grass. In the spring (around May), fertilize your lawn to encourage rapid growth and healthy soil. Be careful! Fertilizer burns lawns. If you’re using granule fertilizer use three pounds of fertilizer per 100 square feet of grass, and apply evenly. Applying liquid fertilizer evenly is much easier and the risk of burnt grass is much lower.
A late fall application of fertilizer is also recommended.
Aerating your lawn
Aerating removes small soil plugs from the lawn and increases the flow of water, nutrients, and oxygen throughout the lawn. A hollow-tined garden fork can be used to manually aerate a lawn, but using a machine aerator is more common. Apply a liquid fertilizer right after aeration to encourage healthy grass growth.
Weed control
Eliminating weeds in the lawn is actually pretty simple. Chemical weed killers, like Ortho and Round-Up, work well and won’t harm your grass. These chemicals will kill most common weeds, including dandelions, thistles, crab grass, and hundreds more. It is best to spray the weeds with a small, plastic sprayer as they appear, and to do so when it is warm. With many weeds, you may have to apply the weed killer twice.
Natural weed killing techniques are time consuming and often unsuccessful.
Pest control
Lawn pests, like beetles and grubs, are common and often damage lawns, turning them brown. Insecticide safe for grass can be applied to the lawn to eliminate the pests.
Winter care
Take care of your lawn in the winter! Even a thick layer of snow will not hurt your grass. Remove any weeds that grow, keep rocks and debris off the grass, and water the lawn if your area experiences dry winters. A slow-release fertilizer should be applied early in the winter.
If you want your lawn to look full and green in the winter, plant some rye grass alongside your regular grass. This cold-season grass will thrive in the winter and keep your lawn looking healthy. In the spring, the rye grass will die and your regular grass will continue to grow.
