Everyone would want a well-manicured lawn, but the secret lies in regular maintenance, and this requires a lot of time and effort. There are serious downsides for neglecting your lawn. As a homeowner, you’ll enjoy numerous benefits by ensuring proper care.
One of the obvious benefits of proper maintenance is that your lawn will boost the looks of your property and increase its value. If you intend to sell your property, one of the measures that you can take to attract more buyers and get higher returns on your investment is ensuring your lawn is well-tended. Here are 5 tips to ensure you have healthy, green grass in your home:
How the Mowing Is Done Matters
To maintain the health of your grass, ensure you do post-winter and pre-summer lawn care. Before you start working on the turf, check the condition of your mowing equipment. First, check the screws to ensure they’re tight.
You should then fuel the lawnmower and empty its catcher bag. The blades should also be sharp to make sure that the machine will be up to the task. The timing of the exercise is also crucial. If the work is done too early, you risk compacting the grass.
Your Grass Needs Water
The timing, duration, and frequency of lawn watering are crucial. Professional landscapers recommend homeowners to water their turf about an inch of water weekly. If you’re using a plastic container, you’ll need about 30 minutes, three times a week.
The formula is ideal for healthy, well-cultivated soil. When you water your grass daily, it’ll have a shallow root system, which dries out fast and weakens a lawn. Infrequent, deep watering encourages the roots to run deep and develop strong systems.
Fertilize Your Lawn
To get good-looking, green turf, ensure that you fertilize at the right time and using the fertilizer or organic manure. Note that the more you fertilize a lawn, the more maintenance you need to keep it healthy. The choice of the spreader is important.
Landscapers recommend the use of rotary or broadcast spreaders, especially when working on large turfs. Before you start using the equipment, ensure that the hopper is properly closed before you fill it.
The lawn should be well-watered a few days before you fertilize. Make sure the grass is dry before the application of fertilizers. Watering slightly is also necessary after fertilizing.
Ensure Proper Aeration of Your Turf
Aerating your grass helps in bringing more oxygen, nutrients, and water to the roots. Other benefits of aeration include preventing water runoff and controlling the buildup of thatch. You can do the work manually or opt for power tools.
In most cases, aeration is done using self-propelled equipment called core aerator. It should be done after the first frost has killed the weeds in your lawn, but don’t wait until the ground has become too hard.
Ensure Proper Drainage at All Times
Poorly-drained turfs are prone to water-logging for hours or even days. If the problem is not fixed promptly, there’ll be other complications. The water buildup mainly depends on the soil’s ability to absorb the water and the landscaping of a lawn.
Soil impaction and layers of roots hinder water absorption. One of the measures you can take to improve drainage is changing the nature of your soil. You can do this by choosing the ideal plants for the soil type and the regular use of organic materials.
Finally, ensure that you get the right supplies and consult professional landscapers.
