Lawn care is essential for homeowners, whether they’re experienced gardeners or just starting out. Learn lawn care tips for a healthy green yard, including mowing frequently, removing weeds, aerating soil, and fertilizing.
Weed removal helps prevent nutrient theft from grass and can also help control insects that carry disease. Fertilizing and overseeding promotes lush, heat- and drought-resistant lawns.
Mowing
Lawn mowing is one of the most basic lawn care services that keep your yard looking clean and neat. A reputable lawn care company will have the right equipment to do the job quickly and effectively. They’ll know how to use a variety of mowers, including cylinder, rotary, and hover mowers. They’ll also be familiar with grass varieties and how to cut them.
Ideally, lawns should be mowed about once a week during the growing season to maintain their health and appearance. But, the frequency of mowing will depend on your climate and the height at which you prefer to cut your lawn.
You should also hire a lawn care service that does not use toxic chemicals. Look for a company that offers organic fertilization, weed control, and disease and insect control. This will help to reduce the amount of water you need to use to maintain your yard. And, it will also improve the quality of your soil. Also, consider getting a mulching mower that will break up and decompose grass clippings, rather than bagging them up for disposal. This helps to keep your lawn healthy and free of fungi that can damage it.
Weeding
Taking the time to hand-pull or spot treat weeds is an essential part of lawn care. If left unchecked, weeds can compete with grass for sunlight, water and nutrients, which decreases your curb appeal and damages turf health.
Weed control products like pre-emergent and post-emergent are available to stop new weeds from sprouting, while spot treatments can tackle established ones. Proper fertilization is important, too. You’ll want to choose a fertilizer that’s suited to your grass type and growing season, as well as the timing of application. A weed and feed product allows you to fertilize and kill weeds at the same time if desired.
Other preventative lawn care treatments include aeration, which involves penetrating the soil and creating small holes for water, air and nutrients to get in. Fungicide treatments protect grass from diseases that can lower its vigor and curb appeal. And regular pest treatment keeps chinch bugs, sod webworms and other critters from disrupting your turf. A professional landscaper can recommend the right treatments for your lawn. A good one will also perform a soil test to ensure your lawn is getting the best care possible.
Fertilizing
Lawns require adequate, balanced nutrition to look lush and healthy. Lush lawns have a nutrient balance that includes nitrogen (N), phosphorus and potassium. A soil test determines a lawn’s current level of plant nutrients and will provide information on the need for lime or fertilizer.
Nitrogen is the nutrient most used by turf grasses and is usually listed first on the fertilizer label. However, excessive nitrogen leads to rapid top growth, which promotes disease and insect problems. Nitrogen should be applied at low rates during the summer to reduce these problems.
Generally, most commercial fertilizers have low levels of phosphorus and contain slow-release nitrogen. Specialty phosphorus fertilizers can be purchased when a soil test indicates the need for this nutrient.
Be careful about burning your lawn when applying fertilizer. Burning most often occurs when a lawn is fertilized in hot weather or without being watered soon after application. Watering soon after fertilizing helps to ensure that the nutrients are absorbed by the grass. Also, always store any unused fertilizer in a dry place or give it to someone who will use it.
Aerating
Aeration loosens soil compaction and allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate grass roots more easily. It also reduces thatch and helps new grass seeds grow, making your lawn thicker. A thick, lush lawn naturally fends off weeds and adds curb appeal.
If your yard is a constant flurry of backyard soccer games, running children and pets, or if the lawn has a dense brick-hard feel to it, it may be time for aerating. Heavy foot traffic, vehicles driving on the lawn and excess thatch (dead organic material buried beneath the grass) can cause soil compaction.
Aeration involves scooping or “coring” holes into the lawn’s surface and allowing those small plugs of soil to break apart as they decompose. This perforation allows for the penetration of air, water, and nutrients into the soil, resulting in a healthier, more vibrant lawn. In addition, overseeding immediately after aeration provides an infusion of new grass seed, assisting the growth of denser grass and crowding out weeds. This is one of the most important steps in lawn care.
Topsoil
A thin layer of topsoil spread over a lawn is commonly known as “top dressing.” This seemingly simple task holds the key to a myriad of benefits for both your garden and lawn.
Lawns typically need top dressing at least once annually, or whenever you start to notice common issues like low patches, bare spots, and uneven terrain, which can be caused by water runoff, tunneling critters, freezing and thawing cycles, or simply the natural process of soil erosion over time. When you top dress with a carefully curated mixture of organic matter and rich minerals, you’ll provide your plants with an ideal environment for growth while also replenishing the nutrients that have become depleted over time.
Enriched topsoil provides a more unified and stable soil structure, reducing compaction and allowing for improved air and water circulation. This allows for better root penetration and ensures that your lawn receives the full benefit of any fertilizers or treatments you apply. The increased organic content in enriched topsoil also helps reduce the risk of erosion by adding strength to the soil’s texture and retaining its nutrients, preventing them from running off and leaving your landscape depleted.