Grass Tips
7 Grass Tips To Keep Your Lawn Looking Sharp
If you follow these seven grass tips, investigating each one further as needed, you should have a healthy, easy to maintain, and beautiful lawn. Some of the tips are one-time only, others address ongoing care. Get in the habit of following the latter. It's not all that hard to do, and you'll be glad you did.
One of the key grass tips for getting things right, is to choose the right type of grass for your lawn. Your nursery can tell you what grass type, or mix of types, will do well in your locale. The mix you choose will also depend upon the conditions your lawn will be facing. Is it strictly for show, or will it be subject to heavy traffic, play, or other activities? Will the lawn be in full sun, or will all or part of it be in shade, or partial shade? Take stock of these things before you purchase your seed.
You might be wondering when the best time is to put in a lawn. One school of thought says, "Whenever you're ready". That said, a spring or fall planting is probably best, with the nod going to the fall. If you plant in the fall, your grass has a couple of seasons to mature, before facing the hot weather of mid-summer, a time stressful to the grass plant.
It probably goes without saying that any worthwhile grass tips should include being prepared, especially when you're about to put in a new lawn. You want to spend whatever time it will take to prepare your soil. Grass loves a rich moist soil that has good drainage. You may need to replace existing topsoil, or mix it with richer soil, compost, peat, or manure to get the best soil for your lawn. You can add fertilizer a few days, or a couple of weeks, before sowing seed, but not when sowing, or just after. Let the grass begin to mature before applying fertilizer. Level the soil out, a little slope is all right, but avoid lumps and dips. These not only affect the appearance of the lawn, but can result in dry spots, or spots of standing water, neither of which is good for the grass.
Among the best grass tips for sowing the seed is "don't skimp". Measure the area to be planted so you, or your nursery specialist, can determine how many pounds of seed you'll require. Get some extra seed, so you don't run out, and will also have some on hand, in the event you end up with a bare spot or two. You'll want to sow about a dozen seeds per square inch. You can rake or press the seeds in with a roller. Covering with a fine layer of soil or mulch is best, but not absolutely required. Don't bury the grass seed more than 1/4 inch.
A proper program of watering is essential. You'll want moist soil from the time you plant until the grass has sprouted, and then keep it moist until the grass matures. This will require frequent watering. After the grass has matured, you can water less frequently. At that time, a good watering once a week is preferable to watering every day. For one thing, you're less apt to encourage fungus-based disease if you don't over water. Normally, you want to keep the soil moist from 3 to 6 inches deep. Watering one to two inches weekly should maintain this level.
Take time to learn a bit about fertilizers. Your initial fertilizer application, on a new lawn, should have a higher phosphorus ratio, to promote root growth, and a lower nitrogen ratio. Once your lawn is established, you can go to a higher nitrogen ratio. You'll want a fertilizer with a higher potassium ratio when preparing the lawn for climatic changes, as potassium helps the grass withstand stress associated with these changes. Slow acting fertilizers are generally much better for your lawn than fast-acting chemical types.
Mowing, Thatching and Aeration: Don't just mow your lawn, thatch and aerate it as well. A common mistake is setting the mowing height too short. This can increase the amount of moisture needed by your grass, inhibit proper root growth, and encourage certain fungus-related diseases. Let the grass grow longer during hot weather, 2 to 3 inches is good. Warm season grasses, such as Buffalo grass, may only require 2 or 3 mowing's a season. In general, grass grows more slowly during hot weather, and you'll need to mow less. Giving the lawn a good mowing before winter will discourage cool weather-related mold and fungus problems. Thatch as required. A healthy lawn will generally seldom require thatching. However it's a good idea to aerate the lawn at least once a year.
Learn more about these general grass tips, apply them, and you should have a beautiful, healthy lawn. You won't be spending hours, and money, trying to resolve lawn problems which could easily have been prevented.