Follow A Fertilizer Schedule
The Scotts company, a major fertilizer manufacturer, recommends applying lawn fertilizers in four stages. The exact dates will, of course, vary from region to region. Another factor is the kind of grass you grow. So always read the package labels carefully before applying, and pick the brains of the staff at local garden centers or a local extension service.
As an example of a typical fertilizer schedule, if you live in the northeastern United States and if your lawn is a mix of cool-season grasses, you might begin by feeding the grass in May with a product that contains a pre-emergent to prevent crabgrass from growing. Follow that up in June with another lawn fertilizer that performs two jobs at once. In this case, the other job is controlling broad-leaved weeds. For the latter, you need a product that contains a post-emergent herbicide designed to kill weeds that have begun growing in your lawn.
In mid-summer, bugs and drought are two of the greatest enemies of your grass.
Last but not least, when you winterize your yard in autumn, don’t forget your grass. It’s not difficult to remember which fertilizers to shop for at this time, because they will often contain “winterizer” in their names. These products are designed to help your grass build a deeper root system to weather the winter.
Mow At The Right Height
Raise the cutting height of your lawnmower during summer to keep your lawn looking at its best. The grass wont dry out as quickly and the roots will be better protected by the longer blades. We recommend mowing your lawn every two to three weeks in summer to keep it looking tidy, though the need can vary if there has been a lot of rain fall.
How To Deal With Grass In Summer Heat
The dog days of summer are a constant worry for homeowners, as just a few days without rain can really impact a once-lush lawn. Then theres the heat to contend with!
We cant give you any tips for how to stay cool yourself in the summer heat, but we can provide some recommendations to help support your grass:
- Use appropriate mowing techniques. Longer grass will help to shade the roots and prevent any harmful exposure to the sun. This will also help the roots of the grass grow deeper, thus outcompeting weeds and creating a denser turf. That said, use a blade height of about four inches in summer, mow less frequently, and mow earlier in the day.
- Avoid watering in the heat of the day, choose early morning or late evening instead. Keep in mind that your lawn will need about one inch of water a weekbut it can tolerate about half an inch every 14-days, depending on water restrictions in your area .
How to keep grass green in a drought?
If youre starting from scratch, youre in luck. Its easy to find drought-resistant and fast-growing grass seeds, especially like the fescues we mentioned earlier. These grasses establish themselves quickly, dont require a lot in the way of maintenance, and are one of our best bets for having a green lawneven in periods of drought.
If youre not starting out with a new lawn, however, there are still some things you can do to keep your grass green during drought :
Don’t Miss: How To Apply Herbicide To Lawn
Overseeding For A Thicker Lawn
Its only logical a thicker lawn requires more grass. Overseeding can make all the difference, so long as the lawn has been properly prepared. Once the soil has been tested, the grass dethatched, and the lawn aerated, you are ready to overseed.
Keep in mind that timing is everything the right time to overseed will depend on your variety of grass.
| Cool-season Grass | Wait until early fall to overseed. This is grass most active growing season, and the warm soil from the summer months creates an ideal environment for germination. |
| Warm-season Grass | When growing grass in a warmer climate, wait until later in the fall or even early winter. Make sure there are 45 days before the first frost. |
When choosing your seed, you do not necessarily have to choose the exact same seed as your current lawn. As long as the new seed will work well with the existing lawn, is non-invasive, and the right variety for your environment, it will do. As the entire process of overseeding can take some time and effort, be sure to invest in a top-quality seed and get it right the first time.
Spreading seed is made easy with the help of an inexpensive lawn spreader. Spread the seed according to the instructions on the seed package. Mixing the seed with sawdust will ensure more even distribution. Different varieties of seed will require different ratios. You can check out the seeding rate per 1000 square feet in the picture below.
Read Also: Does Lowes Rent Riding Lawn Mowers
How To Make Your Grass Greener
Is the grass always greener on the other side? Is your lawn looking crackly and brown, especially as the seasons change? Are you wondering how to get dark green grass? Well, there are ways out there to keep it nice and green, all year long. Lets go through the key elements on how to make grass green fast.
Recommended Reading: When Should I Seed And Fertilize My Lawn
Simple Tips To Make Your Grass Green In Utah
How do I get green grass, you lament, promising this year you’ll figure out what makes the grass green and create the lawn of your dreams.
There’s just something about a stunning green lawn that makes you feel alive and inspired. But unlike parts of the big, beautiful USA where homeowners can just throw out some seeds and watch it grow, in Utah, we have to work for our little patch of green that takes us back to summers spent at the ballpark.
Figuring out how to make grass green doesn’t have to be hard when you know how to maintain green grass with these five strategies for Utah lawns.
Final Thoughts On How To Make Your Lawn Green
If this seems like a lotdont stress it. Were here to help. Feel free to give us a call at any time to talk about how to make your neighbors green with envy because of a lawn thats just as green! Also, if you have any other tried and tested tips for supporting healthy grass, let us know in the comments!
Read Also: When Do You Aerate Your Lawn
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.
Never Water With Hot Water
Its not a good idea for the health of your hose to leave water lying in it. Water that does get left can get quite warm, even hot enough to scold the blades of grass. Always ensure you empty your hose after each use, but if you forget, make sure you flush the hot water away before commencing watering.
So, there you have it, no rocket science and no secrets, just simple straightforward tips to keep your lawn looking great throughout the summer months. Try taking before and after pictures of your lawn so that you can look back at the difference these tips have made. If you have any tips of your own please feel free to share them in the comments.
Happy gardening!
Don’t Miss: What Is Tearing Up My Lawn At Night
Greener Grass Tip #: Iron Applications
Applying an iron supplement to your lawn is one of the most effective things you can do to get a greener lawn.
If youve been watering your grass and youve fertilized, but the grass is still a mix of light green, brown and yellow, its time to throw down some Iron.
Iron applications can be effective for all types of grass, but some of the species that do especially well with extra iron include Bluegrass and Fescue.
An Iron application will help the foliage of almost any plant green up. From roses, to tomatoes, to citrus trees and grass, if you want dark green leaves, give those plants some iron. Itll do the trick even in the heat of summer when your neighbors lawns start to look brown and crispy!
How to Apply Iron to Your Lawn
I apply a granual iron supplement to my lawn by mixing it with a slow-release fertilizer every spring. I like to wait until the temperatures outdoors are in the 60s consistently before applying it with my broadcast spreader.
You can continue to apply iron with your fertilizer applications for the rest of the year to keep your grass that nice dark shade of green and provide your lawn the micronutrients it needs.
When you apply iron, ensure that you carefully follow all the instructions listed on the packaging. This is essential in order to avoid overdosing, which can cause damage, or even turn your grass gray .
Also, if some iron treatments get on concrete it can stain it an ugly shade of orange. Yikes!
What I Use
Lawn Care Tip #: Raise Your Mower Blades
Many homeowners cut their lawns too short. In fact, experts say cutting the lawn too short is the number one mistake made in taking care of grass.
Yes, cutting the lawn shorter might mean you wont have to mow it quite so many times during the growing season. But scalping a lawn can result in stressing the grass plants that make up the lawn. Each blade of grass is a leaf on a plant. Cutting the grass too short decreases the leaf area the plant has to gather sunshine. Cutting the grass too short also exposes the soil underneath to more sun. That makes it harder for the soil to retain moisture. The result can be drier roots and stressed plants.
Set your lawnmower height to 2.5 to 3 inches. Mow your lawn once a week during the growing season. And sharpen the mower blades so they dont tear the blades of grass. Sharp mower blades make a quick cut that results in a healthier, better-looking lawn.
Follow these 5 lawn care tips and you will have greener grass! To read our reviews on the best of the quiet new cordless electric mowers, read Top Cordless Electric Lawn Mowers.
And if you love flowers, please read Best Roses for Backyard Gardens.
Don’t Miss: How To Kill Ant Colony In Lawn
How To Make Your Lawn Green
Learning how to make your lawn green isnt difficult, but it does take time and attention to give your grass what it needs. Once you get into a routine or hire the right lawn care professionals, you can sit back and enjoy your lush lawn. While you sit outside admiring your lawn, check out our archives for more useful information.
Choose The Right Lawn Seed
If youâre looking out at your lawn and seeing light greens and yellows but wondering what makes grass green, you may not even have the proper variety of grass to grow a dark green lawn. So the first thing you need to do is select the right lawn seed for your lawn.
Not all grasses will produce the dark green lawn that youâre looking for, and different results are depending on the region of the country you live in. There are a wide variety of different grasses, and they vary quite significantly in color. If youâre in the Wisconsin area, you of course should be choosing the best grasses for Wisconsin lawns.
Read Also: What Time Can You Start Mowing Your Lawn
How Do I Make My Grass Grow Thicker
Feel like your grass grows quickly, but never really looks that great because its too sparse?
You might notice your neighbours lawn always looks thick and lush, but yours, even though its the same variety, just doesnt quite look the same.
There are many factors that could be contributing to your lawns poor performance. The main culprits are shade, compaction or a pest related issue. Look as these potential issues first to rule these out as the problem. If you dont, the underlying problem will continue to cause you headaches and you will never get the result you are looking for.
If you have ruled out shade, compaction and pests, it could simply boil down to a difference in mowing techniques. A few tweaks to the way you mow your lawn and the frequency can make all the difference.
Also Check: What Do Lawn Care Companies Do In The Winter
Lawn & Order: Special Mowing Unit
The height you set your mower deck plays such an important role on your lawns health and greenness. The mowing rule of thumb I suggest you follow goes like this: only mow when your grass is dry, only when the blades are 3 to 3½ inches tall and never cut it shorter than 2 to 2-1/2 inches .
The reason for this rule of green thumb is to help your grass keep all the valuable nutrients it needs and it will also mean you can leave your grass clippings left on your lawn to do some good because they wont be too long or thick. If you dont, however, and you decide a good old scalping will mean you get to mow your lawn less, youll stress your grass out, especially during the summer months. So, to cut your grass properly, mow high, mow often and mow with a sharpened blade so you arent tearing your grass blades and inviting in a whole bunch of unwanted diseases.
And there we have it, 5 easy lawn care tips that will make your grass the greenest and give you bragging rights over the neighbours.
Thanks for reading Joes 5 Tips for Making The Grass Greener On Your Side! For more lawn care tips and tricks, follow us on and
Read Also: How To Fertilize Lawn Naturally
Lawns Need Air To Breathe
Lawns need oxygen as well as water so its important to keep your lawn aerated. Aeration involves perforating the soil at intervals to alleviate compaction, allowing water, air and nutrients to penetrate deep below the surface. The easiest and cheapest method is to push a garden fork into the ground at 15cm intervals over the entire lawn, although for large areas it may be easier to hire a machine to do the hard work so you dont have to. An aerated lawn will also be better at absorbing water rather than letting it run off.
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.
You May Like: How Much Does The Average Lawn Care Business Make
Include A Mix Of Plants
Be sure to include a mix of many different plants and grasses in your lawn. A diverse landscape is better for the environment and can be easier to maintain, because it prevents pest problems from spreading to the whole lawn.
For places where it is hard to grow a lawn, try plants more adapted to the area. See Plant diversity for more information.
Why Is Fertilization Important
Fertilization is important because it helps the grass grow. Grass needs nutrients to grow, and fertilization provides those nutrients. Fertilization also helps to prevent weeds from taking over your lawn. A healthy, thick lawn is more resistant to weeds than a thin, patchy lawn.
Choosing a professional to develop your fertilization plan is the best way to ensure that your lawn gets the nutrients it needs. The experts will work with you to create a custom plan for your lawn. They can assess your grass type, soil texture, and soil type and ensure you dont have too much nitrogen. Excess nitrogen can cause problems such as:
- Burning the grass
- Weakening the grass
- Killing the grass
It is important to use the right amount of fertilizer, and a professional can help you determine which nutrient source is right for your lawn.
Don’t Miss: How To Bring Lawn Back To Life
Drought Stress Or Lack Of Water
Your grass needs water to thrive. When your lawn isnt receiving enough water, it can start to wilt and ultimately turn pale green or yellow.
PRO TIP: Its critical that you get on a proper lawn watering schedule. Its common for people to underestimate just how much water their lawn is receiving from Mother Nature. A brief thunderstorm may seem like it delivers a lot of rain, but it doesnt soak down very far to your turfs roots, where its truly needed. On top of that, people get busy and forget to water their lawn. But your lawn needs approximately 1 to 2 inches of water per week to thrive and remain a healthy green.
