Lawn Care 101: Everything You Need To Know

~ The luscious green lawn is a welcome addition to any home. It really adds on to the exterior, house value and brings your entire garden into a new light. In fact, one of the keys to creating a magnificent garden is ensuring you get your lawn is in check first, then building and adding other greenery around it.

Many homeowners do not really know the do’s and don’ts of lawn care. More often than not, they just assume cutting the grass is all that needs to be done. This is not always true if you want to keep your lawn in the best condition possible. 

Get rid of any out of place plants

Weeds are any misplaced plants that grow in your lawn and hinder the desired grass from growing as you planned. They do not tend to look very good, sometimes misshapen the view. Some homeowners are very particular about the way their property looks and strive for a perfect uniform look. I love my weeds and find many of them to be medicinal, however, most of the people I meet share an opposite view. There are some things you can put in place if you wish to get rid of the “weed” issue.

• Physically remove the weeds: use a little garden fork to physically dig out the weeds from their roots in your lawn. Yes, this is messy, and yes, you will have to wait for the grass to grow back over it. Although the benefit of this is that you do not need to use any chemicals and moreover can attribute this to exercise, mental restoration and energetic rebalance. Earthing is a nature’s complimentary way to distress and re-balance yourself and what, if not raking weeds does it best? Ha! Ok, walking dogs or heading to the beach helps too, but if you like to stay close to home than weeding seems to be the perfect solution that accomplishes better health and outside ambiance.

• Use a quality herbicide: of course, my preference is the organic types, such as flower extracts or neem oils. Fire torching is one of other the ways that some homeowners like to deal with most persistent weeds, but not me. Uhm, No. There will be no fire in my yard, oh Goodness, no.  But it is certainly, it is an option for the brave. Most stores bought turf herbicides are mixed with water before spraying. Depending on the concentration of the elements, the area a measure of a particular turf herbicide enough for your lawn is different. Highly concentrated chemicals are needed in smaller quantities than dilute ones.

• Goats. Made you laugh? I am serious. This is an amazing option for the pet lovers, whereas goats take care of your weeds as they graze in your backyard. My dream is to own goats and chickens. It is still in the backburner, but this is a healthy option for certain. Imagine, additionally to organic mild, you get a free weed terminator, that fertilizes the lawn at the same time. I am shaking my head, questioning myself why is it I still don’t have these pets. Well, I hope some of you do or will get it, for my sake. I can live vicariously through my friends. No crime in that.

There is no doubt that weeds are a cause of concern for most lawn owners. They pop up all over the place and can be so hard to deter. If you have fake turf in your garden, then there is no weed issue, is there? Yes, some people actually have the fake grass, believe it or not. There are plenty of people that do not care for all the maintenance but desire the green look of their lawn. This option is perfect for these individuals. I actually have a very successful friend who designed her backyard in this manner. Her little pooches come out to play in her backyard that always looks green and inviting. Not much of care is needed to take care of her property and her energy is diverted to other matters.  Thus, if you feel like you are trying everything – but the weeds do not give up and reemerge – then it might be an idea to get a synthetic lawn installation. Good to know different options. 

Mow with caution

It is a normal thing to want to do; the shorter you cut the grass, the longer it takes to grow back. Therefore, most of us think they do not have to mow the lawn as frequently, saving a lot of time. In reality, cutting the grass too short is known as scalping. Scalping refers to cutting your lawn grass quite low, so low that you expose the stems of your grass blades. This accidental scalping happens when your lawn is uneven or bumpy and the mower hits a low spot. Grass that becomes so long that it bends over and creates thatch can also cause you to scalp your lawn as the mower cuts near the base of the blade rather than the tips. When this happens, you end up damaging the lawn and creating naked patches. If you find that your lawn has turned brown or there are muddy areas, then it could be in result of your lawn mowing technique.

As a general rule of thumb, you should only cut about a third of the length every time. This leaves you with a slightly longer lawn but in a much healthier way. The grass has more room to grow, and you will avoid all those unwelcomed patches.
Now, there is some debate over how often you need to mow your lawn, and this is because it varies from season to season. Usually, weekly grass cutting is most recommend, especially in the rainy Summer,  whereas the weather conditions make your lawn grow quicker. Mowings are less frequent in the colder months, and sometimes are not needed at all, depending on where you reside in this lovely planet. 

Feed your lawn

How do you ensure that plants and flowers grow up to be beautiful and healthy? You water them regularly, and you feed them! So, why don’t you do this with your lawn as well? It’s the same concept; the grass needs nutrients and water to thrive. Find a fertilizer that’s suitable for your garden, then apply it to your lawn according to feeding instructions. The good news is that this does not have to be a routine task. You do not have to be out there every day feeding the lawn. This is something that is only done a handful of times per year. It does feed the grass with all the nutrients needed for it to grow up, look gorgeous, and stay that lovely green color. Just imagine: what a joy it is to sink your bare feet into the healthy, green lawn right outside of your door. Ahhhhhh.

Clearly, watering your lawn can be done in multiple ways also, using the garden hose, sprinkler system and watering can. Mother nature can provide afternoon quick passing storms to help out and backyard water barrels are an excellent way to reuse stored free water for your own yard. Summer is almost here and perhaps watering your yard and garden twice a day will help it spruce up from the afternoon sun rays.

Aerate your lawn

Here is the final and quick tip to help your lawn look better: Lawn Aeration. Grassroots need air, water and nutrients to grow thick, deep and strong. When soil becomes compacted, even slightly, it inhibits the flow of the essentials that support thicker, healthier turf growth. A layer of compacted soil just 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick can make a significant difference in the health and beauty of your lawn.1 Aeration creates holes down into the soil to alleviate compaction so air, water, and nutrients can reach grass roots. Even a single aeration session can open the avenue for these essentials to reach their mark and put your lawn back on an upward trend.

Make it a very green day, my friends.

Luda@PlantsandBeyond🌿

All photographs belong to Luda @PlantsandBeyond.com

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