Lawn care, like a lot of house chores, is sometimes fun, sometimes a pain, and sometimes outsourced. A lovely lawn will increase your home's curb appeal and value, and make the time you spend outdoors a bit more enjoyable. If you don't mind the maintenance, this article's for you, but if it's the bane of your existence, hiring a lawn care service or recruiting a neighborhood kid can make this frustration disappear.
What makes a lawn perfect?
“Perfection” for your lawn is: a rich, green color; weed free; thick and healthy grass; and no patches of dirt showing. Achieve these four things and you have a perfect lawn.
Grass types
There are lots of varieties of grass, Zoysia, Bermuda, Pampas and St. Augustine to name a few. The best choice of grass for you to plant depends on where you live and the look you are trying to achieve. Read up on the grasses sold in your area. Ask questions of the local nursery salespeople. The internet is loaded with up to date information and there are chat lines and blogs that can really help give you the information you need to pick the right grass.
Maintenance
Maintaining your lawn requires you to plant your grass seed correctly, fertilize appropriately and treat for weeds. You have selected the grass seed and now must plant it, don’t just throw it around. Loosen the soil to at least a one inch depth. The loose soil will give the seed room to develop a root system, and allow the water and fertilizer to reach the roots easily. There are as many fertilizer products as there are types of grass. Which fertilizer you pick depends on the type of grass you are growing, the nature of your soil, the area you live in, and the time of year you are fertilizing. Some lawn fertilizers come with a weed control application which will allow you to accomplish two lawn maintenance chores at once. Apply following the instructions carefully and make sure you have the right fertilizer for the time of year so that you don’t burn out your lawn and kill the weeds you want killed, not the grass.
Mowing
Mowing your lawn is the secret to a beautiful, healthy lawn and is the number one leisure-time activity in America. The time of day and the weather conditions dictate the best times to mow. Do not mow in the hottest part of the day, or when the grass is wet. Cutting the lawn when it is damp makes the grass more susceptible to disease. Evening is a good time to mow when the grass is dry and it is not so hot. Set your mower so you are not cutting more than one third of the blade length and even a higher cut is better. Cut your grass in long straight passes and vary the direction of you cut each time. Keep your mower blade sharp.
If you hate lawn work, think lawn service!
Hiring a lawn care service to maintain your lawn is not about price. The best lawn care service is the most skilled, they have people who know the area, know fertilizers, and know how to mow your grass. Talk to your neighbors to see who they use. Or look on line for sites that recommend lawn services. For example, www.allaboutlawns.com has a nationwide listing of lawn care companies you can search by zip code.
