We've all seen those lawn transformations in our neighborhood and wonder "how did they do it?" The answer to beautiful, healthy, green turf is consistency.
CONSISTENCY: steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.:
Consistency in your lawn care maintenance plan will lead you to having the beautiful, healthy lawn that you have envied. But what exactly does it require? Here are the 5 steps that you need to follow for a lawn that others will envy.
1. REGULAR MOWING
Regular mowing of the turf is essential to a healthy looking lawn. In our practice we strive to mow at the same sites on the same day of the week and at the same time of day, every week.
By allowing your grass to become overgrown before you mow, you are causing damage to the lawn when you mow by cutting off too much of the grass.
The "one third rule" is lawn care 101: Never remove more than one-third of the total height in any one cutting.
Switch mowing directions every week so that you don't damage the turf from the weight of the lawn mower. Also by changing direction you are preventing the grass from being pressed in the same direction every time you mow.
2. FERTILIZER
Regular fertilizer applications will provide your lawn with the nutrients that it needs to be healthy and green. The healthier that the turf is the less chance weeds have of surviving. Nobody wants weeds in the grass. Keep the grass thick and healthy and it will squeeze out the weeds on it's own. We always recommend that you apply a fall fertilizer and then fertilize again in the spring. Make sure that your lawn is getting the right nutrients at the right time and don't over fertilize or you will just be wasting time and money. Know your fertilizers. We like to apply fertilizer twice in the summer to keep adding nutrients back to the turf that the mowing takes away. More applications can be applied but it is more than likely not necessary. Every lawn is different but in our area of the country, 4 fertilizer applications is adequate for a beautiful, healthy looking lawn.
3.WATER
Watering your lawn is important. We all know grass needs water to stay healthy. But the trick is to water the grass for longer times but less frequently. What you want to do is water the root system about 6 inches into the soil. By doing this you are encouraging the root system to travel deeper. Often people think they need to water every day for short periods of time. This creates a short root system that will not thrive. Get the water into the soil by watering for a long period of time, different soils take different amounts of time to get the water into the soil. Sandy soils require less watering than clay soils. If you have clay soil water deeply but only three times per week. Sandy soils can be watered deeply about once every 5-7 days. Watering times are also important. NEVER water your turf at night. If you water in the evening you are going to introduce diseases to your turf. Fungus is once disease that thrives on wet grass at night. Best times to water are 4am - 10am. If you water after 10am you will be loosing water to evaporation. Don't water the lawn in the middle of the day when it is the hottest.
Here is a great article about watering times - THE SMARTER WAY TO WATER A LAWN.
4. WEED CONTROL
Be Consistent when it comes to weed control.
If you notice weeds, adjust your lawn care practice to help eliminate growing conditions for weeds and encourage healthy grass. See steps 1-3. You may need to spot treat for weeds or include a weed control with your fertilizer. If you have a neighbor that has weeds such as dandelions in their yard, you will have to use more spot treatments to prevent weeds in you own yard. Dandelion weeds travel once they bloom and will seed in your yard. If you need help controlling weeds it is important to know the target pest and how often to treat. Contact a professional if you are not sure how to rid your lawn of weeds and still keep healthy turf.
5. OVERSEEDING
Grass is a living organism. When it gets old it will start to die off or become unhealthy. By introducing new seed to your lawn every few years you will continue to promote young, healthy, beautiful turf.
These steps will help you have a beautiful, healthy vibrant lawn. If your lawn is at a stage that it is suffering and not very healthy, you should not expect to see results right away. But by continuing a consistent lawn maintenance plan, you will be the envy of the neighborhood in no time. Just be consistent. It is not easy to keep up with lawn maintenance when we all have busy lives. If you need help with your weekly maintenance and you can't or don't have the time to be consistent, you may want to consider hiring a professional to care for your lawn.
One Call Property Solutions can provide you with a free lawn care estimate.
Call or email to schedule.
One Call Property Solutions, LLC
(208) 490-6713
www.onecallps.com