While the warmer seasons offer a lot of benefits, it also means you have to turn your attention to lawn care. While not everyone is looking for a perfectly manicured lawn, it is nice to keep a green patch of grass around your property to enjoy on those beautiful days. But maintaining a healthy lawn isn’t as easy as it might seem. There are a number of essential things you need to do, as well as a few things you must avoid.
DO mow often.
A lot of people struggle with how often they should cut their lawn. Depending on the size of yard your have, it can really be a time-consuming effort, but maintaining a beautiful lawn does require you to sacrifice time out of your weekends to keep it looking great. Best practices suggest you should cut your lawn once a week to keep it from getting out of hand but still allowing it to grow naturally. It’s not the easiest thing to squeeze into your schedule but it’s important if your want your lawn to be the envy of the neighbourhood.
DON’T cut too low.
One method that some lawn owners use to ensure they don’t have to cut too often is to lower their blade and cut the grass extra short. While the look of your lawn is entirely up your own preferences, cutting your grass too short isn’t the best way to keep a healthy lawn. It’s recommended to cut no more than half the stem length or else it shocks the grass causing it to grow improperly. Likewise, be sure to switch up the direction your cut to avoid the clippings preventing natural growth.
DO fertilize.
As with any growing thing, your lawn needs food to stay healthy and strong. There are many beneficial fertilizers out there that help to provide your grass with the necessary nutrients to grow. Begin using fertilizer around the same time you begin cutting your lawn. But be warned, too much fertilizer can negatively affect the grass roots.
DON’T overwater.
Your lawn needs regular watering to stay healthy and keep growing properly, but too much water can be just as damaging as anything else. In the springtime, the rainy season is usually enough to keep your lawn adequately watered, but when you move into the hotter summer season, it is recommended that you put a sprinkler on each section of your lawn for half an hour every week. Going too much over that recommended amount can leave your lawn soggy and stunt growth.
DO leave clippings.
One of the biggest questions lawn owners ask themselves is what they should do with the lawn clippings. Some mowers bag the clippings but there’s much better se for the clippings than just throwing them away. While it may appear a bit unsightly to keep the grass clippings on the lawn, the mulched grass is packed full of nutrients that are great for your lawn.
DON’T cut wet grass.
Mowing can be a hot and unpleasant chore, especially in the summer. Sometimes, in an attempt to escape some of the heat of the day, you might think about mowing early in the morning when it is still cool. Think again. Before noon, your grass is still wet from the morning dew. Cutting wet grass which is weighed down is bad for the growth of your grass, not to mention the wetness makes your lawn more susceptible to damage. Take a cold drink with you and wait until the afternoon to do your cutting.