How To Get The Greenest Thickest Lawn

Speak To An Expert At Patuxent Nursery

For more answers to your questions about lawn care, visit the experts at our Garden Center in Bowie, MD. There, you will find everything you need to keep your lawn green and healthy as well as a friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you choose the right tools and supplies for your needs.

Patuxent Nursery, located in Bowie, Maryland, was started in 1996 by longtime area residents Don and Susan Stelfox. Originally geared toward landscape professionals, Patuxent soon expanded to serve homeowners in Bowie and the surrounding areas in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Our store offers customers a unique shopping experience and features a gardening-oriented gift shop, outdoor living accessories, an assortment of colorful flowers and edibles and the largest selection of trees and shrubs in the metro area.

We specialize in lawn care and we carry all of the products you need to maintain an attractive lawn, including seed, soil amendments, pest and disease control products, weed killer, weed-and-feed, fertilizers and soil conditioners.

Contact Grass experts in Bowie, MD to speak to an expert at our store today and find out how to keep your lawn healthy and green all summer long.

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Maintaining Your New Lawn

To keep your lawn looking good, the most important thing to do is to water it regularly.

Your new grass will need regular, frequent watering for about two weeks after overseeding. After that, you need to water less frequently, but deeply once a week.

This transition will help your new grass grow deep roots that seek out that deep water when the surface of your lawn dries out. This will make your lawn strong and resilient.

Once your lawn is established, mow at the proper height with sharp blades. Remove leaves in the fall, and your lawn will thrive for years to come.

Aerate And Overseed Your Lawn When Needed

Water and nutrients need to reach lawn roots in order to lead to thicker and greener grass. Over time, lawns can become compact, whether its from traffic or harsh weather, limiting this easy access of water and nutrients.

The solution is annual aeration. This practice breaks up the soil and enables the lawn to breath. Also, those small holes aeration creates can provide the perfect access for overseeding in thin, bare areas. Aeration and overseeding are key elements that shouldnt be forgotten on the journey to greener, thicker grass.

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How To Create A Thick Lawn

Theres nothing better than relaxing on thick, green grass in the sun. But what if the harsh and unpredictable British winter has left your lawn looking limp, patchy and dull? By adding new grass seed or lawn thickener, your lawn will grow strong, healthy and thick and is less likely to have weeds.

Let The Grass Growa Little

Your grass might be as short as a putting green, but don’t keep it that way. Let it grow to a length of about 3 to 3½ inches, and maintain that height all season. This lets the grass blades shade out weed seeds, and in the summer it shades the soil, reducing evaporation.

Come fall, you can go back to cutting it shortweed seeds aren’t as abundant then, and evaporation is less of a concern. Two exceptions are Bermuda and seashore paspalum grasses, found in the South, which can be kept at a height of 3/4 to 1 inch.

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Pinpointing And Treating Pests And Diseases

If you have gone through the four previous steps and are still struggling to pinpoint the reason for a thin, unhealthy lawn, it could be that your grass has a disease or infestation. Remember, weather extremes can also play a factor and cant be helped consider if this could be the culprit before spraying your lawn unnecessarily.

Feeding Improves Growth And Thickness

Doing the above is all well and good but if your lawn, having had lumps chopped off it regularly at the top and sides, doesnt have the food and nutrients to re-grow than it all comes to nothing. Keep your grass fed particularly during the growing season when you are using and mowing the most.

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Follow These Steps And Your Grass Will Always Stay Green And Thick

Theres nothing better than a lush, green lawnespecially when youre equipped with the know-how for how to get it there.

Were happy to let you in on a few secrets for how to make your grass green. It starts with knowing your grass, but continues with using fertilizer and addressing any damage as it comes.

We spoke to our landscaping pros who have combined over 50 years of keeping grass looking green and healthy and they boiled everything down to 4 essential points that we unpack in this article.

What Is A Dense Thick Lawn

A thick lawn is full of healthy grass plants that have not only spread their roots in the soil but is also full of bushy grass plants. Think of it like this take a thousand bushes and stick them together and you wont see any soil, just bush. Now take a thousand trees and stick them together and youll always see lots of ground underneath. Trees are tall and thinnish whilst bushes are short and well, bushy! We want our grass to be bushy. And as any gardener knows if you want a bushy bush, you prune it.

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Ways To Make Grass Thicker And Fuller

Lets be honest here we all want a thick vivacious lawn full of green grasses. But how do we get one? Maintaining a lawn is not a joke and requires a lot of time, effort, and of course, investment.

Sometimes even if you feel that youve done everything you needed to do, you might end up getting thin patches on your lawn or a thin lawn overall. Well, well tell you how to fix the problem. Now, lets discuss what are the measures you can take to make grass thicker and fuller, shall we?

Mow Lower More Frequently

Set your lawn mower lower slightly lower than 1.5 inches when mowing Bermuda grass to discourage vertical growth and encourage more lateral growth. Increased lateral growth of grass stolons helps fill in the bare spots, making your lawn grow thicker and fuller quickly.

Bermuda grass is an aggressive turfgrass and can grow to 4-12 inches tall if not mowed. However, you want to make it grow and spread nicely to form a dense carpet. Therefore, push it to grow more laterally than vertically.

Pro tip: Be careful not to mow too low and risk scalping and damaging your lawn. The recommended mowing height for Bermuda grass is 1-1.5 so set the mower anywhere between 0.5 and 1 inch low when youre going for a fuller lawn.

Other tips for making your Bermuda lawn grow thicker by mowing include:

• Use a reel mower for bermudagrass for a much cleaner cut. I use and recommend the Fiskars StaySharp Reel Mower for this.
• Keep your mowers blades sharp to prevent hacking the grass blades and exposing the turf to disease.
• Mow every 5 to 7 days and less often when the lawn is drought-stressed.

If youre feeding your lawn properly and mowing as Ive recommended above, your turf will soon fill in and become thicker and fuller quite fast.

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What If I Want A Green Lawn From Scratch

When sowing a lawn from seed, the intended use and desired look of the lawn will determine the most appropriate seed mix to use. A lawn that needs to withstand heavy wear and some neglect should contain a high proportion of the tough, broad-bladed ryegrass. For a finer, more refined lawn use a seed mix without ryegrass.

The ideal time to sow seed is September when the soil is still warm, yet moist so choose a calm day with light rain forecasted. When sowing, make sure the surface is weeded, raked and level, this is the only opportunity to get it right. When laying a lawn using turves, make sure you get the soil preparation right. It should be cleared of weeds, then forked, raked, firmed and levelled.

Seed MixesFor a formal lawn 80% Chewings fescue, 20% Browntop bent

For a utility lawn 40% Smooth stalked meadow grass, 30% Chewings fescue, 20% Creeping red fescue, 10% Browntop bent

For a tough, hardwearing lawn 35% Perennial ryegrass, 30% Chewings fescue, 25% Smooth stalked meadow grass, 10% Browntop bent

With these restorative tips for year-round lawn care you can ensure your grass is thick, thriving and full of life all year round. Sorting out your lawn can seem like a mammoth task but with regular maintenance you can keep the time spent tending to your lawn to a minimum, without sacrificing the health of the grass.

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Pro Strategies For Thicker Greener Grass

For many Central and Southern Maryland homeowners, a green grass shows they care for and have pride in their properties.

In summers heat, its especially important to do all of the things all year long that contribute to a lawns health. Because, as the pros know, you cant do just one thing to nurture a thick lawn. A mix of the right strategies is necessary when it comes to how to make grass greener.

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How To Get A Thicker Lawn

Many are on the hunt for the answer to how to get a thicker, greener lawn and it isnt always just to keep up appearances with the neighbors. A thick, lush lawn, though it may sound like extra work, requires much less maintenance than a sparse lawn. Thin grass leaves room for unwanted guests, such as weeds and pests, that can often take several seasons and many chemical treatments to get rid of. Growing the thickest lawn possible is in your best interest and will save you money and effort down the road.

This article will take you step by step through six ways to ensure growing a thicker lawn. Whether you have recently laid down seed or sod or youve been battling thin grass for years, these methods are proven the most popular when looking for that green, carpet-like lawn.

Ways To Make Bermuda Grass Thicker

A really thick, green lawn requires the right care and maintenance. If you start early enough, youll get this a little bit later in the year which is usually the best time for lawns with Bermuda grass.

Following a calendar is very important because a step-by-step approach to growing and nurturing your lawn will prevent the thinning problem and promote thick lawns.

Here are 6 great ways to make your Bermuda grass lawn thicker and healthier:

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What Is The Greenest Grass Variety

Grass grows almost everywhere, and theres certainly no shortage of varieties. If youre looking for dark green grass, Kentucky bluegrass is a favorite among many lawn experts, with perennial ryegrass not far behind. Both have dark, rich colors and grow quickly and thickly. Just note that if you live somewhere with very hot temperatures, these grasses might not be the best choice they both prefer cooler climates over warmer ones.

If you live farther south, look for floratam, a variety of St. Augustine grass. It grows more slowly than Kentucky bluegrass, but it has a similar dark green color. Bermuda grass, another Southern favorite, grows more quickly than floratam and is also a deep, rich green.

If youd like something vibrant but light, check out centipede grass! It has an interesting, pale-blue-green color thats sure to turn heads.

Lawncare doesnt need to be stressful, and a green lawn doesnt have to be out of reach. If you want to know how to get a green lawn, these tips can help you get and keep the lawn of your dreams. With a little work and some patience, even the driest brown lawn can become lush, beautiful, and green.

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We Can Help You On Your Quest To Thicker Greener Grass

Want greener grass? Long for thicker grass? You need a strong lawn: one with adequate water and nutrients, proper mowing, and regular aeration and overseeding.

And its all within your grasp. All you have to do is create an environment your lawn loves and thrives in.

While a lot of these tips seem simple, they can all be daunting when merged together. We get it. You have other worries and priorities and your lawn may seem to consistently fall to the bottom of your to-do list. This might be especially true in the summer when youre planning vacations or children are home from school and time seems like its speeding by each day.

Natural Green can help you by offering a complete, proactive lawn care program that includes proper fertilization, consistent advice on water and mowing, as well as both pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control treatments and aeration and overseeding. We also provide professional eyeballs on your lawn regularly so we can alert you to turf diseases or insect issues before they become bigger, more expensive problems.

Has thicker, greener grass next door got you longing for the same on your property? Wed love to help. Get started today with a free quote. Together, well prepare a customized plan so you can have that lawn you long for.

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South Shore Massachusetts Climate Grass

So, where does that leave us in South Shore Massachusetts? Well, if you remember from our blog about hardiness zones, South Shore MA is in hardiness zone 6b. This means that the warm season grasses are generally out, but we still have several of the cool season grasses to work with.

Here are a few that wed recommend :

• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Fine Fescues, like creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, and hard fescue

Other kinds of grass that grow in Massachusetts

Because we live in a coastal region, there are also several other grasses that grow in our area . In fact, many coastal grasses are absolutely essential for preventing dune erosion and supporting unique ecosystems.

While you likely wont find these in your lawn, you can expect to see these types of grass in Massachusetts:

• American beachgrass

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Getting Your Soil Into Shape

Having a healthy lawn relies on having healthy soil.

If theres one thing that I see lacking from lawn care gurus online, its the fact that amending your soil with chemical fertilizers actually makes your turf less healthy.

Your grass will start to depend upon these quick-release synthetic fertilizers, and the soil thats supposed to feed your grass will become less and less healthy.

I use slow-release, organic fertilizer on my lawn and amend the turf by broadcasting screened compost every second or third fall as well. Theres a time and a place for synthetic fertilizers, but if you rely solely upon them youll be in an expensive cycle of lawn care that is not sustainable.

Getting your soil into shape to nourish and support a healthy lawn is how to make grass thicker and fuller.

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Keep Your Mower Blades Sharp

A sharp mower blade cleanly slices grass tips , so they heal quickly and aren’t open to disease. A dull blade tears them , leaving weakened, jagged edges that turn brown and are vulnerable to disease. You should sharpen your blade after every four to six uses. If you hit something while mowing, file nicked edges right away.

MYTH: Clippings cause thatch.

FACT: Since grass clippings are about 90 percent water, they break down too quickly to add to thatch. Lawns develop thatch naturally, but more than a ½-inch layer prevents nutrients, oxygen, and water from getting through.

MYTH: Spiked shoes can aerate a lawn.

FACT: True aeration requires removing 4-inch-long plugs of soil to create voids so that nutrients can get to the roots. Despite the name, slip-on spiked aerator shoes don’t aerate, and golf cleats can actually compact the soil.

MYTH: Hot weather kills grass.

FACT: Turf naturally goes dormant during a drought. A brown lawn isn’t necessarily dead and usually bounces back when watered after temperatures cool. But a lawn that goes from brown to tan to gray is sending out an SOS.

Mow Your Lawn Correctly

Mowing is a seemingly simple task that you probably think you cant get wrong. But your mowing habits can have a big impact on your lawns performance. Mowing properly can lead to thicker grass.

One of the largest mistakes people make is mowing their grass too short. Mowing too short can put unnecessary stress on your lawn. This can cause a dull green or yellow color, which you dont want. It can also increase the likelihood for weeds — additional headaches you dont need.

The goal is to cut no more than one-third of your grass blades at any one time. Ideal mowing timing is weekly and ideal mowing height is in between 3.5 and 4 inches, depending on your lawn type. Your mower blades should be sharpened to ensure a clean cut.

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