With the arrival of summer comes all sorts of issues with lawns and lawn care. Between the bugs, the heat, and the increased lawn use, it can be very difficult to keep a yard green and vibrant. It’s important to maintain regular lawn care and maintenance in order to ensure a beautiful bed of grass 365 days a year. Here are eight tips to help keep your lawn looking brilliant and save you time in your lawn care routine.
1. Know the Right Height
Cutting a lawn too short can damage the grass and roots, which means the grass will turn brown and require much more water. Though it may take time to get used to the shaggier look, in the end your lawn will be all the better for it.
2. Keep to a Watering Schedule
Watering too often can cause just as much damage as not watering often enough. Most climates will only require a long water once a week, and can survive off rainfall throughout the six days.
3. Leave Your Clippings
It’s important to leave old grass clippings on the lawn after each mowing. They help fertilize the soil and the grass, plus it saves hours and hours of bagging time each summer.
4. Keep Your Blades Sharp
When lawnmower blades get dull, they leave the grass with jagged edges, which exposes it to browning and also disease. Lawnmower blades should be sharpened on average every three to five mows.
5. Be Your Own Nightly Cleanup Crew
When you leave things on the lawn like toys, chairs, or even hoses, it can very quickly lead to grass death. If the days are especially hot, browning can occur in only a day.
6. Feed Your Green
There are lots of natural and organic ways to fertilize your lawn and keep it looking fresh. Warm-season grasses especially need extra nutrients, so it’s worth a trip to the local greenhouse to find some good organic plant food as well as a nutrient schedule.
7. Know Your Weeds
Some weeds can actually be healthy for grass, and should be left to grow. Others can be harmful, and in these cases it’s important to weed early and often before they have the chance to take the nutrients from the soil and damage the grass.
8. Clean up After Your Furry Friend
Concentrated amounts of dog urine can very quickly turn green grass a very unflattering shade of brown. If you’re noticing spots where your four-legged friend is doing his business, water the spot after he goes to dilute the nitrates and keep the grass green.
These simple tips and tricks will keep any lawn looking fabulous, even during the hottest and driest of summers. While it’s important to realize that lawn maintenance is a time commitment, it doesn’t have to take up hours of your time. Small, daily changes can make all the difference in any yard, and can help you have green pastures for years to come.
