Dont Skip Fall Fertilizer
Its easy to forget about your lawn in the fall, with all the distractions of football, cider, pumpkin carving, and figuring out your Halloween costume.But those turf roots are still hungry. Fertilize in the fall and you give those roots nutrients to grow nice and deep now, with some left over for a healthy start and greener grass next spring.
Greener Grass Tip #: Fertilize
Do some research to find out the best fertilizer for use in your region and to meet your specific needs.
If youre just starting to step up your lawn care game, I recommend starting with a soil test. This small investment will tell you exactly where your yard stands. Youll learn what your lawn needs and , what it doesnt.
This can save you a lot of time and money by avoiding applications of products that are not necessary for a healthy lawn. You can do a soil test annually for the first few years, and then once every few years after you get a feel for your yard and what it needs to thrive.
Your local cooperative extension office will be able to test your soil for you, and Ive used and like as well.
When you do fertilize your lawn, follow the right schedule, and use products that align with your lawn goals and feelings about the environment.
Should You Go Organic?
I like to use organic fertilizer on my lawn because I have kids and pets, but you may prefer synthetic fertilizers which feed your lawn faster. Thats a personal choice for everyone.
Whatever you choose, nitrogen-rich fertilizers will be the most helpful for bringing your lawn to a wonderful shade of green, as Nitrogen encourages leaf growth in plants.
In addition to applying an organic fertilizer to my yard several times a year, I apply a thin layer of compost to top-dress my lawn every other year when I dethatch, aerate, and overseed.
Remove Leaves As They Fall:
Leaves tend to fall over the course of several weeks, so do not wait until they have all fallen to remove from your yard. Raking or blowing leaves is far more manageable when an entire seasons worth is not sitting in your yard at once.
Let your lawn continue to breathe and grow by keeping it free of leaves, which lets it enter winter with healthier momentum.
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How Do I Get The Mowing Right
Mowing is one of the most frequent tasks and the most important to achieve a green lawn, and therefore it is vital to get it right. The quality of the cut will depend, not only on your turf type, but also your choice of mower.
A cylinder mower is fitted with several blades arranged in a spiral located on a front cylinder. The cutting action is similar to that of a pair of scissors, and the more blades fitted, the finer the cut. These mowers are used where an immaculate sward is required. Choose a cylinder mower with a roller if you want to achieve a striped green lawn.
A rotary mower on the other hand is more suitable for general mowing of most turf areas. These are fitted with a horizontal blade that spins at high speed and cuts with a similar action to a scythe. Both cylinder and rotary mowers are available as either petrol driven or electric models. Your choice will come down to budget and suitability. A hover mower is a rotary mower that floats on a cushion of air and is useful for cutting slopes or even steep banks.
Unless you have a mulching mower, its best to collect lawn clippings, either during cutting using a box fitted to the mower, or after, by raking them off the surface of the lawn. Over time, if these clippings were left on the lawn they would cause a build up of thatch leading to drainage problems.
With electric mowers make sure a RCD is fitted. If you should accidentally cut through the cable, then the RCD will turn off the power.
Keep Your Soil In Good Condition
The soil that is under your lawn is where the grass gets all its nutrients from so if you want a healthy lawn that has thick lush green grass you really do have to keep the soil that is underneath in good condition.
Grass that is used for lawns tend to like a pH level that is close to neutral and although the pH of your lawn probably will be around a neutral level it is probably a good idea to check the pH level of your soil every so often, I check the pH level of the soil under my lawn every year using a home pH soil testing kit.
When you are aiming for lawn perfection it is probably a good idea to keep the kids off your lawn and if you arent able to you are probably not going to achieve that thick and green lawn you are hoping for.
The problem with a lawn that gets heavily used is that the soil underneath willprobably become compacted and it is difficult to grow a healthy lawn when the soil is compacted into a near-solid state as it becomes difficult for the roots to spread new shoots to sprout.
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Remember That There Is A Right And A Wrong Way To Mow
When it comes to how to make the lawn greener, ensuring that youre mowing properly is also important. A lot of people dont recognize that there is a right and a wrong way to mow their lawn. Its a simple enough task, but mistakes can still be made.The vast majority of the time, homeowners mow their lawn too short. When this occurs, you can really put a lot of stress on the grass. As it struggles to recover from such a drastic cut, it will turn yellow. The ideal cut height will depend upon the type of grass that you have. Here are some of our recommendations.
- Tall Fescue: 3 to 3.5 inches
- Perennial Ryegrass: 2 to 2.5 inches
- Zoysia: 2 to 3 inches
- Bermudagrass: 1 to 2 inches
In addition to cut height, also make sure that you arent mowing your lawn with dull blades. This can also put stress on your lawn. You want to make sure that youre using a sharp blade that will make a nice, clean cut.
When To Fertilize Your Lawn
In Massachusetts, its recommended that you either fertilize in May, or the fall before . Just be sure that the soil is warm enough for the fertilizer to penetrate and choose a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer if available.
What about seasonal fertilizer in summer?
Feeding your lawn in the early summer can help to better prepare it for the heat and drought conditions that may follow. Slow-release fertilizer is a good idea for most grass types.
However, avoid applying fertilizer in the middle of the summer because it can end up burning a lawn. Additionally, dont fall in the trap of applying too much fertilizer because that may do more harm than good.
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Troubleshooting An Unhealthy Lawn
How To Keep Your Grass Green
Everyone wants to have that perfect green lawn all year round. This might seem difficult, but it is quite easy if you take the right steps at the right time.
Start Out Right
Keeping your grass green starts before you even sow your grass seed. You should use an appropriate fertilizer while doing the final preparation for seeding. This fertilizer should be high in long-term nutrients such as phosphate, but not have too much nitrogen, which will be part of your later lawn fertilizer anyway. Your grass seed will be off to a great start if you have given it the nutrients it needs before you sow the seed.
Plan Ahead with a Lawn Fertilizer Program
Design a yearly fertilizer program for your lawn right away and stick to it. That way you will always have a beautiful green lawn to admire. It doesnt have to be complicated, just a few notes on paper to remind you what to buy, when to fertilize and which type of lawn fertilizer to use at each time of the year.
There are two key components in a fertilizer program. In autumn and winter you will be thinking about strengthening the grass and providing long-term nutrients. Fertilizers for that time of year will contain plenty of potassium, which strengthens the grass and makes it more resistant to cold. Apply this kind of lawn fertilizer from September to the end of the year.
You can continue with the same fertilizer every six weeks for the rest of the season, finishing in early August. You will have emerald green lawn all summer long.
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You Dont Have To Slave Over Your Lawn To Keep It Healthy
If youre an average homeowner , you spend almost four hours a week on yard work and mow your lawn 30 times a year. And while you may not realize it, your lawn pays you back for all this hard work. It serves as a giant air conditioner to help cool your home. It releases a tremendous amount of oxygen and captures tons of dirt and dust to help keep you and your family healthy. It gives you a place to play croquet. And the healthier your lawn is, the better it keeps up its end of the bargain.
The good news is, you dont have to slave over your lawn to keep it healthy. In fact, to a great extent, its not the amount of work you put into your lawn its when and how you do it. The following six ingredients are essential for a healthy lawn. We focus on northern or cool-climate grasses like bluegrass and fescue, but most of the information applies to warm-climate grasses like zoysia and Bermuda grass, too.
Watch Out For Insects:
Insects are one of those summertime annoyances we must live with, and keeping an eye on how they affect your lawn is essential to taking care of it. Avoid using fertilizers with pesticides designed for a national spectrum of pests.
Instead, look for fertilizers with herbicides catered explicitly to your region, as these are more likely to be effective. Alternatively, and perhaps more effectively, use a combination of organic fertilizer with low-nitrogen content and separate pest control that can be manually sprinkled.
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How To Keep Your Lawn Green In The Summer
There are several steps that can be taken to keep your lawn healthy and green even during the hottest, driest days of summer. Keeping your grass green throughout the summer months doesnt have to be overly complex. By following these tips with consistency, your lawn should remain beautiful all season long.
Healthy Lawn Step : Watering The Grass
Watering the lawn like an expert is what really ties all of these other tips together. Without the proper lawn watering schedule, its impossible to mow, aerate, seed, fertilize or mulch properly.
Your lawn needs about one inch of water each week. So with recent precipitation in mind, use empty cans placed spatially throughout the lawn. Measure how full the can is to determine how much water is distributed in one, one hour sprinkling session. Calculate that total to equal one inch over the week. Water the lawn early in the morning, from 4 AM and 9AM for optimal absorption.
With your expertise in mind, explore these mowing and lawn care tips for comparison against your current yard work practices for a beautiful lawn you will appreciate!
> > With questions regarding lawn tractor attachments or further expert advice, talk to a Simplicity Dealer in your area today!
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Tips To Grow A Lush Green Lawn
Inspirations / Evergreen tips
5 tips to grow a lush green lawn
Who says the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?Follow these 5 practical tips, and you too can have the lush green lawn you’ve always dreamed of.
1. Cut the grass little and often
If you want an impeccable lawn, the first rule is to avoid over-stressing the grass. That’s why it’s better to opt for frequent moderate mowing, rather than a single major cut. You should also change your mowing pattern on a regular basis, to avoid pushing the grass stems in the same direction all the time, and never cut the grass by more than five centimeters at a time. Leave the grass longer in summer, however, so that it can withstand hot, dry weather more effectively.
If your garden is not very big and you’re looking for a quiet, easy-to-handle tool, you can use an electric lawnmower like the PR 40 S, which is ideal for small and medium-size lawns. For mowing larger areas, your best bet is a petrol-engine lawnmower. The LR 44 PK COMFORT PLUS, for example, is a push-type model with steel deck, that offers strength, ruggedness and high reliability.
2. Fertilize your lawn the right way
When you’re done, don’t forget to water your lawn to help dissolve the fertilizer and maximize its effect.
4. Protect it against weeds
Is your lawn overrun with weeds that you can’t get rid of? No worries, there’s a solution.
If the weeds are fully grown, the best thing to do is use a hand scarifier.
How To Have The Greenest Lawn On The Block
If youve been losing sleep over how to make your lawn green, never fear there are some simple things you can do. You dont need to be out there slaving away with a pair of scissors individually trimming each blade of grass.
And you dont need to be secretly spraying your lawn with green spray paint in the dead of night to fool the neighbors.
Its all about doing the right thing at the right time and keeping on top of what needs doing. Its all well and good fertilizing and mowing your lawn . But, if you arent doing it at the optimal time, you will end up doing more work than you need to.
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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.
Why Is Nitrogen Important For A Green Lawn
Grass cant grow without nitrogen. In fact, its the most important nutrient to support your lawn. Nitrogen works by encouraging new green growth above the soil line. For anyone who remembers middle school biology, this is where the photosynthesis takes place, which helps generate enough energy so that the roots grow healthy and the grass can ward off any pests or diseases.
Perhaps even more important for you and your lawn, nitrogen is also an essential component of chlorophyll, which is what the plants use to feed themselvesand also what gives them their beautiful green pigment. Without nitrogen and all of the things that it supports, you may notice grass blades that are shorter, brittle, dull in color, and more susceptible to stress and disease .
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