Five Simple Tips For A Beautiful Lawn

Regular mowing of the lawn is very important as it helps thicken the grass. As for the cutting technique, little and often is better than a lot and at once.

Change the direction and cutting pattern each time so that the grassroots are not pressed in the same direction. For each cut, the rule of thumb is to reduce the stem by approximately half or two-thirds, about 5 cm. In mid-summer, it is advisable to leave the grass a little longer, as it will withstand dry periods better.

Subscriber

Mowing removes many nutrients from the grass that have to be replaced for optimal growth. Therefore, from early spring, it is advisable to fertilize the lawn every four or five weeks. Your lawn needs nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, and you can find special lawn fertilizer mixes for sale at your local gardening retailer. The amount that should be used is indicated on the fertilizer containers.

Irrigation

If you want your lawn to be green and lustrous all summer long, you must water it. The frequency of watering your lawn depends on temperature and humidity.

When grass needs water, it begins to turn blue and grey, and the older leaves of the plant begin to curl or wilt. If you have planted a new lawn, you will need to water it once a day so that the seeds can germinate and a strong root system can form.

Nowadays, new technologies allow you to water your lawn comfortably. You can water your garden manually or automatically, with partial or full automation. The GARDENA product range includes stationary and mobile irrigation solutions, as well as irrigation pumps and controllers.

If you want, you can let automated, smart, programmable irrigation and sprinkler systems do all the work. All you will have to do is program and place the sprinklers.

Weed Control

With persistence and the right tools, you can win the battle against weeds in your lawn. Many weeds can be removed mechanically.

Smaller weeds (such as speedwells or white clover) can be removed with a hand weed, which is used to prevent and hinder their growth.

  • Daisies and dandelions should be removed with a root weeder.
  • It is very important to remove the maximum length of the root to prevent it from growing back.
  • If there is still no way for them to disappear, you can resort to herbicides.
  • If the bad roots have overtaken the grass, the best solution is to restructure the entire soil and cover it with rolled grass.

Scarifying And Aeration

Grass roots need air to breathe and grow. Often, the grass soil is not sandy enough to allow air to reach the roots, and consequently, growth does not develop.

With the help of a simple rake, you can make holes in the lawn and fill them with coarse sand. This way, surface water can flow and transport oxygen to the roots. Scarifying allows you to remove dead grass and other debris from your lawn. Removing the thatch layer from your lawn will provide more space for the lower parts of the grass to breathe and make the stems grow better.

Useful Tips For Lawn Care

Mowing The Lawn In Spring

You need to mow the lawn when the grass grows to 8-10 cm. You should leave about 6-7 centimeters. It is possible that by the time of the first mowing, the lawn will not have grown over the entire area. There’s nothing wrong with that: you can mow it down next time. Don’t forget to remove the grass clippings from the lawn; they should not be left behind.

The grass is almost always shorter where it has been cut with a trimmer than where a lawnmower has been used. This is because you cannot adjust the trimmer to a specific height. Therefore, when trimming, you must be aware of the height to avoid damaging the grass by cutting it too much. In some cases, in difficult areas, it may be easier to first trim around obstacles and then use a leaf blower to blow the edge-cutting debris into the grass area and only then move the mower over. 

Scarification (Combing)

During the scarification process, the lawn is cleared of last year’s grass and leaves. It is more correct to comb the lawn after treating the tree crowns – this way you will not have to perform this operation twice. If scarification is not carried out, pests may appear on the lawn, and mould may develop. For scarification, use a soft rake combing the lawn as carefully as possible. It would help if you were careful not to accidentally pull-out fresh sprouts.

Top Dressing

The application of mineral fertilizers is the most important step in lawn care after winter. Here, too, it is important to take your time. Fertilizers should be applied only when the lawn turns green. To fertilize, you can use fertilizer for fertilizing the lawn (specifically, a special lawn fertilizer), the main thing is to follow the recommendations on application rates. There is no need to overfeed the lawn.

Aeration

The next lawn care procedure in spring is aeration. It opens air access to the roots and removes excess moisture. Aeration is carried out with a four-pronged fork, piercing the turf to a depth of approximately 5-7 centimetres. Such movements need to be done in increments of 15-20 centimetres. Air will be able to penetrate the thickness of the lawn, and water will go lower. In addition, this way, the soil warms up faster. There is also a special tool for this procedure – an aerator. However, the simplest aerator will not be able to apply the necessary effort, and a professional tool is quite expensive and is used by professional teams. Therefore, using a fork for aeration is a win-win option. There are also special soles with spikes that fit on top of your shoes – you can use them.

Overseeding The Lawn

Most often, the lawn quickly recovers in the spring and does not suffer from weather changes. But in some areas (usually on hummocks or depressions), the lawn may weaken. This is especially true for old areas where there is soil subsidence. Bald spots appear in such places. For overseeding, use seeds of the same type of grass as the rest of the lawn. This way, the repaired areas will not stand out, and the lawn will look like a single whole. The soil is loosened, after which seeds, previously mixed with fertile soil, are added to it. After this, the sown area should be watered abundantly.