Lawn Care

The Basics of Lawn Care

Watering

Watering the lawn too often is a common mistake. It’s better to water less frequently, but deeply. This will force your grass roots to go deep into the soil. Lawns with strong, deep root systems are better able to survive heat and drought. Most only need about one inch of water, including rain, per week. Choosing the right sprinkler is important for proper watering.

Mowing

Mowing properly is also an important part of lawn care. Set your mower to a high setting of about three inches. Taller grass shades out weeds and encourages deep root growth. Mowing too short puts stress on your lawn. After you mow, leave clippings on the grass instead of raking them. Clippings add organic matter and nutrients back into the soil.

Fertilizing

If your lawn is planted in good soil to begin with, you won’t need to fertilize as much. Take the time to properly prepare soil when starting a new lawn. The soil around newly constucted homes is often poor; consider bringing in new topsoil and amending it with loads of compost before planting. For existing lawns, you can add an inch of compost over the grass every spring and fall.

Let your grass type and climate determine your fertilizing schedule. Fertilizing once or twice per year, while your lawn is actively growing, is sufficient. Never fertilize during droughts, when grasses naturally go dormant.

• Feed northern lawns planted with cool-season grasses in the fall. The grass will store up food over the winter and get off to a good start in the spring.
• Summer is the peak growth period for warm-season grasses that are typically grown in the south. Fertilize in late spring or early summer. You may fertilize again in late summer.

Slow-release, organic fertilizers are perfect for once- or twice-a-year feeding. Synthetic fertilizers can damage your soil and release nutrients too quickly. Your grass will grow too fast and need more and more fertilizer. If you do use a chemical fertilizer or pesticide in your yard, follow the directions carefully and avoid overuse, which can do serious harm to your lawn.

Weeds and Pests

If you mow, water, and feed your lawn properly, you shouldn’t have much trouble with weeds and pests. If you develop a problem that you can’t tolerate, there are safe ways to deal with it.

• Try to correct the underlying cause. You may be cutting your grass too short or watering too much. You may want to get your soil tested to check its pH or nutrient levels. While pesticides and herbicides may kill pests in your lawn, they don’t fix the underlying problems.
• Corn gluten meal is an organic fertilizer that also helps control weeds. It prevents new weed seeds from growing. Apply corn gluten meal evenly in the spring and fall on established lawns only—it will kill newly seeded grass too. After a year or two of regular applications, you will notice the improvement.
• Hand-pulling weeds is very effective. It’s not always as much work as it sounds like. And either way, it turns lawn care into great exercise.
• Consider growing an 'eco lawn' that has a diversity of plants. A mix of flowering broad-leaf species and turf grasses is resilient, low maintenance and can be very attractive.