5 Tip To Keep Your Lawn Healthy All Year
It’s a wonderful feeling when you can look out your window and see your lawn looking beautiful. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen by itself, your lawn needs a little help to look its best day after day.
The good news is that it’s as difficult as you think!
1. Get Inspected
One thing that many gardeners don’t think about until it’s too late is the damage that pests can do to a lawn. Moles are one of the biggest threats as they tunnel under the lawn. They don’t just create molehills that ruin the look of your lawn, they’ll also create tunnels under it, potentially causing it to sink.
Rats and other rodents can also present a threat, that’s why you should contact your local pest control experts and have an annual pest inspection of your house and garden.
2. Longer Grass In Summer
As the summer arrives and the heat increases, you’ll find that your grass is more likely to dry out and look burnt. To prevent this you need to cut the grass a little longer in the summer. This helps it to retain moisture and survive the intense heat better.
Equally, you may want to cut it shorter in the winter months. This will reduce the number of times it needs to be cut which will help to prevent your mower from damaging the soft soil.
This is also the time to inspect your mower, doing this in the winter or spring will mean that it is ready to go during the summer when the grass grows much quicker and will likely need attention every 2 weeks to keep it tidy and healthy! Check that the engine is functioning properly and able to run for a few minutes at a time. Are the blades sharp enough to leave a clean edge on the grass? The last thing you want is to have to go over the lawn multiple times to get a proper cut on the grass. Finally, are the wheels in good condition? Replacing your lawn mower tires is a simple job and is worth doing if you’ve had your mower for a few years, while the wheels may seem fine from a glance, they may be doing damage to the lawn surface and chewing up the ground more than they should be, especially if the soil is soft.
3. The Right Additives
For your grass to stay healthy it needs dedicated lawn fertilizer. This can be different according to the time of year. You also need to control the weeds. A lawn mixed with weeds is not an attractive sight. The right additives can also prevent insects from damaging your turf and even prevent mushroom growth.
Of course, getting the mixture right is dependent on several different variables. It’s best to speak to the professionals, you can find out more info here.
4. Keep It Watered
It’s not enough just to water the grass. You need to know the right strategy. This will ensure the grass stays healthy without damaging the soil.
It’s best to aim for one inch of water across the entire garden per week. This includes rainwater. You’re going to need to monitor the weather forecast to predict rainfall and then water accordingly.
Watering needs to be spread across the week, you don’t simply want to flood your garden once a week!
Of course, it’s best to water early in the morning. This allows the water to be absorbed as opposed to evaporated.
5. Grass Clippings
This can be a contentious issue, but the basic premise is that grass clippings are full of nutrients; It, therefore, makes sense to reuse them on your lawn.
You will need to collect them first. The grass clippings must be no thicker than 1/4 inch, anymore and they’ll retain too much moisture and cause mold to start growing.
Simply sprinkle them lightly across your grass. They will degrade, allowing the nutrients back into the soil and then into the remaining grass.
9 Comments
heather
I learned a ton by reading this post. I never knew that about grass clippings that is amazing
Kate Sarsfield
I’ll be ditching the usual lawn in the new house. Plenty of plans but wildlife biodiversity comes first.
Kate Sarsfield
I know people like having a neat lawn but there’s no such thing as ‘neat’ in nature! I’d rather a wildflower meadow any day!
Lisa DT
I can agree but sometimes, the clippings are a little too much. I have a curve on a slope. The grass has holes. I feel like crying but I don’t want to invest thousands of dollars to have the same as everyone.
Tamra Phelps
I had no idea grass needs to be left longer in Summer. Good to know.
Nancy
A nice yard really helps the look and the value of your home. Thanks for sharing these helpful tips with us.
Kelly Kimmell
These are all very good tips, I agree with the longer grass in summer.
Shannon
I agree that the clippings are good for the yard lawn but most people don’t like them there.
Renee T
Great tips – love the gnome. Thanks for sharing.