Use these 8 Tips for the Most Vibrant Lawn Possible
Is your lawn a little on the undesirable side?
It’s ok to admit it. In our many years of experience, we really have seen it all.
To that end, we had our experts compile the following list of 8 tips that will keep your lawn looking vibrant:
1. Check Your Lawn Frequently for Problems
If you’ve never been face to face with your lawn, it can be difficult to tell what’s causing the various problems your yard could be experiencing throughout the year.
A good rule of thumb is to take a walk around your property occasionally and investigate for any signs of pests, yellowing, or damage to your grass. You could do this at a minimum of once per season.
The benefit of discovering problems occurring within your lawn early are numerous. For example, if you have an infestation of ants or another type of insect, the sooner you take care of it, the less damage you will have to face.
2. Don’t Forget to Water Deeply
Water deeply, not frequently.
Watering to a depth of an inch will encourage your roots to grow sturdy and deep, but overwatering can lead to the drowning of roots and invite diseases to take hold within the root systems.
A trick you can use to measure how much water is being applied during any session is to place a small dish in the area receiving the water.
When it is filled up to about an inch deep, you’ll know your lawn has had the perfect amount of moisture, and you can turn off your sprinkler or place it in another area on your property.
We recommend watering once a week, unless conditions are dry, and you feel more water is necessary.
3. Feed Your Lawn Only the Nutrients it Lacks
The best way to determine what your lawn is hungry for is to perform a simple soil test.
This way, you can save time, money, and effort by only providing the nutrients your soil craves. Typically, grass needs 3 main ingredients to thrive. These include:
Phosphorus
Phosphorus (or P as it is commonly called on some of the most common fertilizer brands) stimulates the growth of grassroots and makes it easier for young blades of grass to take hold.
Potassium
Potassium is responsible for the uptake of water and nutrients and helps grass process starch and protein.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a vital part of your lawn’s photosynthesis process and creates the rich green colors you desire. In addition to this, nitrogen also adds resistance to diseases and drought.
We recommend testing your lawn’s nutrients in the spring and fall and then applying whatever ingredients are missing at that time.
4. Don’t be Afraid to Aerate
It may seem counterproductive to go around poking a lot of tiny holes in your lawn but bear with us. As messy or as unusual as it can seem, aeration plays a vital role in the overall health of any green space.
Aeration provides:
- Loosening of the soil, especially in compacted areas where roots are having trouble growing.
- Allows water and nutrients to penetrate the roots of your lawn, which means you can save time and resources by watering less frequently.
- The opportunity for your lawn to grow in thicker, creating the lush emerald colors you desire.
- A reduction in runoff water
In addition to helping your lawn breathe, aeration also provides a light top layering of organic material to your property, which encourages it to grow thicker and stronger.
Have you been avoiding giving your yard the aeration it needs?
Give your lawn what it has been missing, by booking a consultation with the SML Services’ team!
5. Overseeding Can be the Path to Success
You may have heard people talk about how overseeding a lawn can be the recipe for their success and wondered to yourself, “Would this work for my lawn?”
The answer is truly yes. Here’s why overseeding works:
Over time, individual blades of grass can become worn out and be overtaken by weeds and other types of unwanted flora.
Applying a new layer of grass seed is an affordable way to stay on top of this because when the fresh grass begins to thrive, there is no room for weeds that become choked out and scarce using this method.
It sure beats pulling deep weed roots out by hand. Are you excited about this method? Reach out to SML Services for the best lawn care help. It could be the step your lawn needs to unlock its full potential.
6. Replacing Grass is Always an Option
Do you have a particularly troublesome spot around your home where grass refuses to grow no matter what methods you’ve tried?
Where appropriate, we suggest incorporating hardscaping design ideas into your landscape to beautify these stubborn and reluctant spaces.
Have you always wanted a patio or outdoor kitchen? Now’s the time to start planning and making the most of the great outdoors while minimizing the amount of maintenance you need to do on your lawn.
7. Address Weeds and other Undesirable Growth
Is it time to get rid of that bush that never grows properly?
Are you becoming well known for the number of weeds in your yard?
If either of these things rings true for you, it could be time to bring in the professionals.
Do you need a hand taming the weeds that have made your lawn their humble home?
A licensed lawncare professional like SML Services can provide all the information and assistance you need to nip those culprits in the bud for good.
8. Dethatching Works Wonders
When grasses accumulate a layer of debris on top of their root systems, the benefits stop outweighing the negative aspects, and problems can arise.
While a layer of thatch about an inch thick is a healthy barrier, anything more than that can prevent sunlight, water, and nutrients from reaching the grasses roots.
Dethatching is the answer to this problem but can be labor intensive if you undertake it without the proper tools or machinery.
In this case, you can decide whether hiring experts to complete the job might pay off more in the long run.
Did these tips give you inspiration on how to tackle the rough spots around your yard? We’d like to hear from you in the comments below!