As any horticulture lover will tell you – a well-maintained lawn, although biologically rather empty, is almost a status symbol, requiring regular lawn care, adequate weather, and patience, although biologically rather empty, is almost a status symbol, requiring regular care, adequate weather, and patience. It doesn’t have to be expensive at all, but it does have value in itself and many people take great pride in their perfectly cut, green carpet in front of the house.
But to get to such a level of a fine grassy surface takes knowledge and experience. While everybody knows how to operate a lawn mower, not everybody knows how to do everything else that is needed to keep a lawn spotless. Here are some lawn care tips as well as some common mistakes are easily avoided if you apply a few basic rules and follow them thoroughly.
Types of Grass
When planning on a lawn there are a few things to take into consideration, mainly those of a natural surrounding. Length of day, as well as average temperatures, will depend on the geographical latitude you’re at, while the acidity of soil and amount of rain a certain area gets are much more local. Depending on all of those factors you can choose a variety that fits your location best.
You can ask around in your local gardening shop what the local varieties are, as planting the wrong type, such as a northern variety in Texas, will give poor results and be harder to properly maintain. The grass is best sown during spring when there is a surplus of rain, and the days aren’t as hot yet. Late March and April should be your last deadline to properly prepare and sow a grassy lawn. To ensure your lawn stays green and thriving, look into lawn care tips for expert guidance on maintenance and upkeep.
Taking Care of Weeds
Weeds can come in all shapes and sizes, as what defines a weed is pretty flexible – they are plants that are either invasive, aggressive to other plants, or just plain ugly. Removing weeds is a never-ending struggle for gardeners, especially those that want to compete on lawnphix.com, as weeds are simply naturally present in nature and will grow wherever they find a suitable spot, including your nice, green lawn. There is no all-around cure for them, but simply paying attention and being persistent.
A few individual off-plants in the yard are easily removed by pulling them out with the root, so they don’t grow anew, but having an infestation is more difficult to handle. Don’t overdo it with herbicides! This can damage the surrounding ecosystem for years, and it’s better to apply it carefully. Also, not allowing the weed to blossom and spread its seed round during summer is critical!
When to Cut It
This question can be answered in several ways, depending on what you want to achieve. If you are maintaining a golf course or a football field, where it needs to be evened out during an entire season – then cutting the grass two times a week is a must, and is best done in the morning, but not too early, as grass that is covered in dew can clog up a mowing machine and it will take longer to clean.
In a more general sense – grass should first be cut in spring, in March or April, and then more and more frequently as it grows faster during the warmer months. Letting it grow too tall will not only make it more difficult to cut, but it will also not look as uniform once it is cut down to about 3 cm high.
Bushes, Trees, and Other Larger Plants
Another thing that needs attention is how to organize a lawn, and how to place different types of plants that will also be present. Planting a tree in your garden requires long-term planning, as it takes even fast-growing trees a few years to reach a desirable height. Because they create a lot of shade, and inevitably some debris in the form of branches or leaves – special care needs to be taken around it.
One solution is to make a clearance around the base of the larger plant, like a circle surrounded by a small fence or bricks, and filled with mulch or straw. This stops the grass from growing in that area, but it gives a very aesthetic appearance and makes it easier to maintain a uniform green color on your lawn.
From raking cut grass and leaves to get rid of moles that are ruining the landscape, there is a lot of work to make the perfect garden But undoubtedly, the single biggest pride one can have is in a well-kept lawn, enjoyed both by passersby and by your family. So the few common mistakes that can be seen here and there are rather easy to avoid and from that point – it’s only a matter of patience and good weather.