Lawn Looking Great: Being a homeowner is a dream come true for many people across the country. After all, finally becoming an adult and the title of homeownership are both milestones that we all want to achieve in life. But with this title comes responsibility. And among your responsibilities is taking care of your home and your yard.
A nice home will not maintain itself. If you begin to slack off on your household chores, you’ll find that your home won’t be as attractive as it was when you first purchased it. And this is why you have to find the time to maintain both the interior and exterior of your home.
When it comes to lawn maintenance, you need to ensure that you’re keeping up the health and appearance of your lawn. Otherwise, your property will begin to look unsightly and this can lower your property value along with the property value of your neighbors.
In the following, we’ll explore a few techniques for keeping your lawn looking great year-round.
Lawn Aeration
If you want to improve the overall health and appearance of your lawn, lawn aeration is one method that you’ll want to incorporate. As this can be a labor-intensive process, this is one task that you’ll want to leave to the professionals.
Without aeration, your lawn may suffer the following issues:
- Roots struggle to bring in oxygen and water
- Lack of nutrients
- May develop shallow roots
- Reduces thickness
- Reduced growth
Lawn aeration removes buildup and soil compaction usually caused by heavy lawn usage or overwatering (and above-average rainfall). Each year, your lawn should be aerated twice, usually in the spring and fall seasons.
When it comes to aeration, you’ll want to have the right tools. But core aeration is best performed by a competent lawn service.
Trimming Weed Growth For Lawn Looking Great
Weed growth can cause unsightly blemishes all over your lawn. If left unchecked, invasive weeds can choke off the nutrients and water supply of surrounding, native vegetation. As such, it’s best to remove and inhibit weed growth early in the season, before they get out of hand.
When it comes to removing weeds, you’ve likely heard of chemical herbicides that work quickly to kill weeds. However, even though this may seem like a quick fix, you may want to consider natural methods instead.
Chemical herbicides can contaminate your soil profile and send harmful chemicals into the groundwater. Some herbicides can be hazardous to your health and the health of local fauna. This is why old-fashioned weed-pulling or natural methods such as white vinegar and dish soap solutions are highly preferred by those who want to keep their local environment safe for all life.
You’ll also want to identify your problem areas quickly so that your lawn doesn’t suffer during the growing seasons due to an overgrowth of invasive weeds.
Watering and Fertilizer
Just like all life, your lawn needs food and water to survive and flourish. But there is a fine line between feeding and overfeeding. Similarly, overwatering your lawn can also cause problems that may take a full growing season to correct.
During the spring, you’ll find the best time to prep your lawn for the summer. It’s during this time when your lawn begins to “wake up” and it’s also the perfect time for seeding bare patches and filling in those blemishes that may have formed during the winter.
In the spring, laying a generous amount of grass seed in bare regions will help to fill in your lawn. Immediately after laying the seed, you’ll want to spread fertilizer. But be cautious with how much fertilizer you spread because you could “burn” your lawn if you over-fertilize.
Once you’ve seeded and fertilized your lawn, you’ll want to water it during dry spells and periodically to keep your soil moisture at an optimal growing level. Depending on where you live and what type of grass you have, this process will vary.
Typically, for those who live in arid regions, watering the lawn is heavily regulated during the hot summer months. So you’ll want to ensure that you’re operating by local guidelines. But if you reside in an area where green lawns are common, paying attention to drought conditions and local rainfall levels will provide a good guide for when to water throughout the season.
Keeping your lawn looking great is not only a pleasurable experience, it’s part of your responsibility as a homeowner. By adhering to the advice listed here, you’re sure to have a great-looking lawn year-round.
