Tip No : Mow Only The Top One
The top one-third of a blade of grass is thin and leafy, decomposes quickly when cut and can contribute up to one-third of the nitrogen your lawn needs . While its decomposing, this light layer of clippings also helps slow water evaporation and keeps weeds from germinating. Check out these handy mowing tips.
But the bottom two-thirds of a blade of grass is tough, stemmy and slow to decompose, contributing to thatch. When thick enough, thatch prevents sunlight, air, water and nutrients from reaching the soil. Cutting more than the top third also shocks grass roots and exposes stems, which tend to burn in direct sunlight.
So if two inches is your target grass height, cut it when it reaches three inches. Since grass grows at different rates at different times of the year, every Saturday isnt necessarily the best time to mow. Sometimes you need to mow it more, other times less. The ideal length for cool-climate grasses is three to four inches; for warm-climate, one to two inches.
Mow when the grass is dry and avoid mowing in the heat of the day when youre more likely to stress the grass and yourself.
Family Handyman
Do You Want A Green Lawn Are You Looking For A Way To Increase The Health And Quality Of Your Lawn Without Huge Amounts Of Effort We Explore Ways In Which You Can Achieve A Healthy Green Lawn
For many gardeners having a green lawn is the ultimate goal. While theres nothing quite like an immaculate green lawn, your grass can be used in all manner of styles. From a;highly formal garden, to a flower filled meadow, dotted with daisies, or even just a place to kick a ball. The beauty of a green lawn is that its soft and friendly, yet durable and hardwearing. It invites a mood of relaxation and acts as a constant foil for the more showy elements to star. So whats are the best tips for maintaining a green lawn?
Keep Your Yard And Lawn Healthy All Year Round With These Tips For Fall
Fall is basically here – time for back-to-school activities, pumpkin-flavored everything and the end of summer chores like mowing the lawn, right? While you might be more than ready to press the pause button on the lawn care, if you want a healthy, lush, green lawn next spring, you have a few more weeks of mowing ahead of you.
Your lawn-care routine should be different this time of year, so here are a few tips to help you prep your lawn for fall and winter.
Keep on mowing! ;The end of lawn mowing is in sight- you can stop in mid-October.; In the meantime, stick with it. You should lower the blade each time you mow. This helps prevent your lawn from being matted down by snow and ice.
But water less. Cooler temperatures mean less growth- and less need for water.; Give your lawn a good soaking early in the morning once or twice a week. ; Don’t water at night, as this can encourage growth of both mold and fungus.; Watering isn’t an exact science, but you can determine the ideal amount like this:; If you see a lot of mushrooms in the yard, it might be too wet.; If your footprints leave a mark in the grass, it’s likely too dry.
Fill in the gaps. If you have bald spots in your sod, fall is the time to do something about it.; Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until after the last snowfall.; Likewise, if your grass looks a bit spotty, this is the time to overseed your lawn.; Do this as soon as you can so the grass has more time to grow in before the first big snow.
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Tips For A Greener Lawn
Michelle Di Micco
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Preparing your lawn for the summer sun and putting in a little extra work to keep it looking lush promises to reward you with grass that will make the neighbours green with envy
Spring leading into Summer can easily be the death of your lawn, however, it is meant to be the absolute best time of year to enjoy it. Too often I see people watering their lawn in the midday sun and I have a total facepalm moment. Said gardener loves their lawn enough to be out in the heat of the day tending to their grass but unknowingly they are doing the wrong thing. So, to lend a helping hand, here are 10 of the best tips to ensure your lawn remains green and lush throughout the warmer months.
Plant The Right Grass
There are many different kinds of grass. Cool-season varieties do better in northern latitudes. On the other hand, hot-season grasses flourish in the warmer south.
Hot-season grasses and cool-season grasses have varying life cycles. The main growing stints for hot-season grasses occur in the heat of summer, while cool-season grasses grow most during the spring and fall. To ensure a healthy, green lawn, choose a grass thats best for your climate. If you plant the wrong kind of grass for your region, it will be harder to keep it green in the summer. Be sure to read our blog on how to plant grass in Colorado to learn which grass is best for the Centennial state.
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Solve Your Dirty Concrete Woes
Bleach;can go a long way with just about any stain, but the big issue in our case was handling the dirty concrete without damaging nearby plants. Its not exactly well-maintained due to our extensive travels, but this side yard serves as a haven for our animals and a favorite romping area for the kids. I didnt want to kill the wild grass that grows there.
Fortunately, there is a tool for every job and a job for every tool! Scotts Outdoor Cleaners reached out and asked us to try their;Scotts Outdoor Cleaner plus OxiClean, which gets it all taken care of without aggravation.
If it was up to Nate, hed dump the concentrated stuff in his pressure washer and go to town. Im too lazy to bust all that out for;a small job, so I appreciate the fact that they make a 32 ounce bottle that;attaches to a standard household hose. Scotts also makes a trigger spray bottle. Either way, its foaming action for the win! Let it sit, scrub away with a handheld brush, and rinse. This task took me all of five minutes.
Best of all,;this Scotts Outdoor Cleaner;wont harm fabrics or wood like chlorine bleach will, making it a good option to have on-hand for a variety of outdoor tasks. You can get the job done and get on with your day.
Apply Ryegrass Seed Generously Across The Lawn
Overseed the lawn using a rotary spreader that typically is used for applying fertilizers and bug control granules. Its best to put down 10 lbs. of seed per 1,000 square feet of law. Typically, an average residential yard is 5,000 square feet, so 50 lbs. Use the highest setting on the spreader to fully cover the lawn.
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How To Have A Healthy Lawn
Like many Canadians, you probably take pride in having an attractive lawn. Find out how to care for your lawn as easily as possible, while reducing the need for pesticides!
Many people use lawn care products like herbicides and insecticides to maintain their lawns. But “cosmetic” pesticide use is now restricted and even banned in many communities across Canada.
There are ways to have a healthy lawn without using pesticides. And when you do have to use pesticides, there are ways to use them safely.
Improve Your Mowing Technique
Many dont realize that there are optimal mowing heights. A trick to help keep your grass green in the summer is to let your blades of grass grow a little taller to prevent water from drying too quickly. To do this, set your mower to three inches or the highest setting and mow every two to three weeks. Your lawn will still look neat and well kept, the grass will be just a little taller than youre used to.
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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 theres been a lot of rain.
How To Fix Dirt Patches In Lawn
Say youve overfertilized or have become the target of some pesky dandelions. Whatever the reason, tending to a dirt patch is easy and will have your lawn looking lush and green in no time.;
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How To Keep A Lawn Green In The Summer Heat
In the heat of a Texas summer, it can feel like keeping your grass green is a full-time jobwhich makes sense when you learn that even warm season species prefer temperatures in the 70s. It may seem like after you miss one day of watering, all of a sudden there are brown spots everywhere. Looking at what appears to be a dying lawn, you may realize youre not completely sure how to keep your lawn green in the summer heat.
As you might suspect, the most important thing you can do for your lawn during the hottest times of the year is to water. In most Texas lawns, watering between a half-inch to a full inch of water each week can keep grass species that are suited for our climate healthy even in high temperatures. Bermuda grass and buffalo grass can handle just a half-inch of water, as well as other types of grass that arent exposed to full sun throughout the day, while other species will require more moisture to thrive. Grass will need less water when in humid, cool and less windy conditions.
If you are certain that youre watering your grass the right amount, but your lawn is still not looking its best, your problem could be the time of day youre watering or how often you set your sprinklers to run. Water in the early morning, so that you lose less moisture to evaporation, and so that your plants arent wet for too long, since that can make them more vulnerable to disease.
How To Clean Patios And Outdoor Surfaces
- Working Time: 2 4 hrs
If you have greenish-black stuff on your concrete patio, its probably mold, mildew, or moss. Damp or moist conditions from rain or humidity can encourage mold and mildew to grow in those nooks and cracks of concrete pavers or bricks. Its important to find a sure way to remove it that wont destroy nearby landscaping and harm the environment with a blast of harsh chemicals. This method uses natural, super-versatile ingredients in most homes, such as vinegar and Borax. These cleaners should be able to tackle most cases of mold or mildew.
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Other Tips To Keep Your Lawn Green In Winter
Other than the above tips, you need to pay attention to other tips such as:
Avoid mowing grass after it has rained: When it gets moist in winter, dont mow at this time, as doing so will cause more harm than good. The damage is more extensive if it has been snowing.
As mentioned here, using a lawnmower on wet grass will cause extensive damage to the roots and even sometimes kills the grass.
Avoid walking on the lawn: You should stay off the grass to give it a better chance of surviving the lethal winter weather.
Keep the lawn clear of objects and outdoor furniture: Wintertime isnt the best time to bring out your lawn chairs.
The weather is harsh enough, and adding weight on the grass that is already fragile will make it turn brown.
When you leave the outdoor furniture and childrens toys on the lawn for a long time, you risk having dead spots.
The dead grass can also become diseased, luring in pests such as mice and insects.
How to keep grass green in winter. Its all about preparation.
The key to keeping your grass green in winter is preparing adequately for the winter season.
Mow at the right height, apply the right fertilizer, and ensure your lawn has as minimal debris as possible.
When you stick to the above lawn care plan, you will save a lot of time and effort when winter comes.
Not to mention the peace of mind as you know your lawn wont die from the cold.
And when the season arrives, much of your work will be observing the problematic areas and fix them.
Break The Ice Manually
What happens when you have ice on your pathways and driveways? You throw down a rock salt or ice melt to melt the ice, right?
To keep your lawn green and healthy, you should avoid doing this as the ice melting salt tends to trickle to your lawn, burning the edges.
To keep the edges healthy, break up the ice manuallywithout using rock salt or chemicals.
If you live in a snowy area, and have no other option other than to use chemicals, use safer chemicals such as calcium chloride.
As a rule of thumb, avoid compounds such as calcium magnesium acetate.
The salt will safely break up the ice so you can walk safely without harming your lawn.
Level your lawn
As mentioned above, the amount of water on your lawn has a significant impact on the health of your lawn. The more the water, the higher the risk.
Since you are bound to have more water on your lawn due to snow, you should keep a close eye on where the water goes.
If there are low points on your yard, level them out, or implement the French drain.
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Grease And Oil Stains
To clean oil from concrete, sprinkle sawdust, cornmeal, or baking soda directly onto the stain to absorb as much of the spill as possible. Once the spill is absorbed, brush away the remaining powder with a broom.
If a stain remains, sprinkle more baking soda and scrub the stain with a nylon brush and a little bit of water. Not all is lost if the oil stain is old or has penetrated the surface; to help remove residual grease stains, try a degreaser and follow the manufacturers instructions.
Cleaning Leaf Stains From A Driveway
Stains on concrete driveways from leaves, grass, tree sap, and other organic materials can be tough to remove. They typically require special cleaners formulated for the removal of organic stains. These cleaners typically do not affect the concrete color or harm the surface because the enzymes only target organic material.
Follow these steps:
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What Causes Your Lawns Color To Fade
To understand how to keep your lawn green, it helps to first understand what causes grass to lose its green color in the first place.
In some climates, the weather can go from one extreme to another relatively quickly. It might be cool and wet in the spring, then hot and dry mere weeks later. These changes can cause the ground to dry out quickly and leads to lawns starting to turn brown.
Hot;and dry weather combined with other factors will cause your lawn to lose its healthy, green appearance. Here are just some of the things that can result in grass losing its color:
Deal With The Shady Spots In Your Lawn
Occasionally, conditions just arent ideal for lawn growth. Maybe the lawn was growing around young trees, but as those trees grew, they created more shade, limiting the suns access to the lawn. Sun, water and nutrients are necessary for thicker, greener grass. Take one away, and you wont accomplish your goal.
Raising or thinning the tree canopy can increase the sunlight to these lawn areas, boosting sun exposure.;
But maybe thinning the tree canopy isnt enough. You could have an area where grass just may not grow well. An alternative solution, such as a shade-loving groundcover, mulch, decorative gravel, or a hardscape area might be a better option.
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Watch For Weeds Pests And Disease
Some of the damage you see on your lawn during the summer months may be because of pests and disease and not stress related to the heat, and weeds can also appear during this time of year. Grubs may become a bigger problem in the middle of the summer, so you may need to apply an insecticide to affected areas during this time if you notice damage or pest activity. These products usually also help with chinch bugs.
Proper drainage will help prevent summer lawn diseases, so make sure water does not collect in certain parts of your yard. If you are wondering whether damage on your lawn is drought stress or chinch bugs, try hand watering these spots for a few days. If the grass does not recover, bring in a lawn professional to determine whether you need to treat impacted areas for chinch bugs.
If you did not apply a pre-emergent herbicide during the spring, you may need to use a weed control product as grass or broadleaf weeds appear in your yard. The type of treatment is highly dependent on the type of weed you have in your yard, so proper identification is key to a successful outcome. Keep in mind that applying any products during the hottest part of summer can add further stress to your landscape, so hand-pulling weeds may be your best tactic.
