It’s every homeowner’s dream to grow a green and beautiful lawn. And maybe you want to make your lawn the envy of the block. Well, achieving this dream isn’t easy, but not impossible. That said, lawn care is a demanding task that requires a set of skills, time, and commitment.
You must also plant the right grass that suits the climatic conditions of your local area. All these demands make lawn care more of an outsourced service. This makes sense since most people are busy and do not have the time to trim, weed, or water their yard and lawn garden.
Even then, knowing a bit of lawn care and landscaping skills can be beneficial in the long run. This is because your professional lawn care company isn’t going to camp in your yard.
So you need to have some practical gardening skills.
Below are some five lawn care tips for beginners. Keep reading to get started.
1. Remove the Dead and Decomposing Stems and Roots
If you look at your lawn more closely, you’ll see some dead stems and roots. These decomposing matters may trick you into believing they are healthy for your yard. The truth is that they are depriving your grass of nutrients and water.
Once these organic matter completely decomposes, they lose all their nutrients to the soil. They then become a hindrance to your growing lawn and should be removed. To get rid of them, mow your lawn to half its usual height. You should then use a dethatching rake to remove the dead stems and roots.
This gives your lawn a fresh look and helps speed up growth. The best time to carry out this exercise is during the fall or spring season.
2. Fertilize and Water Regularly
Water and fertilizers are what make a lawn look evergreen all year round. Most homeowners just apply any fertilizer to their yard, and this is where they go wrong. A rule of thumb is to seek professional lawn care services to help you choose the right fertilizer. Here, the professional will do a soil test for the major nutrients. This will tell the levels of Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorous in your soil.
What follows is to buy the right fertilizer based on the soil tests results. Another thing to note is that you should use fertilizers when the grass is growing. This will depend on the type of grass on your lawn.
For cool-season types such as Kentucky bluegrass, apply the fertilizers in early fall or spring. Warm-season grasses such as Bermuda or St. Augustine grow in summer. So you should use fertilizers throughout the summer.
3. Pay Attention to your Trimming
If you usually do the trimming, chances are you’ve been doing it wrong; especially if you’ve never had any form of training. Trimming your grass closer to the soil hinders lawn growth. This will make your lawn look less lush.
A rule of thumb is not to take off more than one-third of the grass blade. If the clippings don’t cover the grass entirely, you can leave them in the yard. That way, they will act as cheap fertilizer once they decompose. But if your lawn had overgrown, leaving behind all the clippings may not be a good idea. Be sure to have your judgment right before making any decision.
4. Create a Path
Another secrete to keeping your lawn the envy of the block is to create sleek pathways. Your yard shouldn’t invite people to step on the growing baby grass. And the best way to make them respect your lawn is to have a visible path. Here, you won’t have to tell anyone what to do. They will automatically know they shouldn’t step outside the created pathway. The trick is that a path creates order and will help keep your grass undisturbed.
5. Hire Professional Lawn Care and Maintenance Company.
When all is said and done, you’ll have a lush garden that sparks lawn envy among neighbors. But may not. Maybe you don’t have the time to train yourself or attend to your messy garden. Perhaps you also don’t want to invest in some lawn care products. But this isn’t an excuse to neglect your yard. And that’s where lawn care services come in.
Before choosing a professional lawn care maintenance company, you should do your research. Look for the quality of services, reliability, and reputation of the company. You can also check the reviews on social media or request customer testimonials.
Extra Tip: Plant Your Grass Seeds Right
A beautiful lawn starts with planting high-quality seeds. Choose seeds that thrive in the natural climate of your area. For example, if foliage covers your garden most of the time, buy seeds that grow better in the shade. Additionally, the time of seeding depends on the type of grass. Planting during the right season allows the seeds to take root and reach peak growth.
After planting your grass seeds, install lawn netting to protect them from extreme environmental conditions like strong winds. Lawn netting also prevents your seeds from erosion during rain, helping them take hold and germinate properly. You can use poultry wire netting or biodegradable netting made from jute or coir.
Closing Comments
There’s a lot that goes into maintaining your lawn, and you need the right skills to get it right. Keeping your lawn evergreen is demanding. If you are a busy person, keeping up with all the care and maintenance is almost impossible. But you can hire a lawn care maintenance company to do the heavy lifting for you.