Save Time with these Quick Steps to Lawn Care

Has that perfect, green lawn of your next door neighbor turned you bright green with envy? Perhaps it looks immaculate enough to play a round of golf on, while yours more resembles hay. But don't give up, because there is still hope even if you don't have hours and hours each week to spend caring for your lawn. The quick steps listed below will make caring for your lawn much more manageable.

Too Much Water?

First, make sure your lawn is not getting too much water. Most turf grasses can survive droughts better than flooding. Therefore, watering your lawn too much causes more damage than watering it too little. Most grasses need about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water each week. This dampens clay soil around 4-6 inches under the surface and sandy soils approximately 8-10 inches under. A great idea is to use a rain gauge to determine if supplemental water is even needed so that over-watering does not occur.

Prevent Time-Consuming Problems from the Start

The next step is to to perform regular maintenance on your lawn to prevent those time-consuming issues from the very beginning. It is recommended that you:

• Use herbicides for minor weed treatment. Pre-emergent herbicides are idea for weeds that are grass-like, such as crabgrass.
• Aerate your lawn annually. Fall is the preferable time to do this.
• Take care of bare sections as needed.

Maintain your Mower

Another quick step for maintaining your lawn is to make sure the blade on your mower is in good condition. This is much more important than the particular brand of mower that you use. A dull blade actually plucks at the grass which produces an irregular brown line across the top of the mowed grass. This rough edge causes the grass to be more vulnerable to pests and disease. We recommend that you sharpen the blades on your mower two times a year.

Don't Forget the Fertilizer

Even though this step does take some time, it's important not to neglect the application of fertilizer to your lawn. This is generally done four times each year, during the spring, summer, early fall and then following the first frost. The autumn application should always be performed, but the summer one can be skipped if your area is experiencing a drought. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label of the fertilizer that you choose.

Mowing Tips

It's important to keep in mind that grass uses the surplus length to soak up the rays from the sun that it requires. For this reason, make it a general rule to not cut more than 1/3 of the total height of your grass during a single mowing. During the spring and early fall, shoot for a grass height of 2 to 3 inches. During the summer season, it is recommended that you leave the grass a little taller. You should only cut below the lowest recommended height when you give your lawn the final mowing of the season. For most turf grasses, this should be approximately one and a half inches.

It's also a good idea to leave the clippings on the lawn after mowing. The clippings will decompose and add necessary nutrients back to the soil. Many people don't realize that these grass clippings can meet up to a third of your lawn's feeding needs!

As you can see, maintaining a good-looking lawn that you can be proud of does not necessarily have to be difficult or time consuming. By doing these few simple steps, you can actually save time and money in the long run. And then your neighbors will be the ones whose envy matches the bright green color of your beautiful lawn.