Tips For Lawn Care By Mr.Andrew Caxton At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

There are many things the home owner can do to take care of their lawn, we list them and provide tips on the best ways of caring for the lawn.

You've landscaped your lawn so it looks just the way you want it. The trick now is to keep it looking beautiful through all four seasons and for years to come.

Mowing
Mowing the lawn would seem to be a no-brainer, but that isn't actually the case. There are a couple of rules of thumb to follow. First, never let your grass grow so high that you are cutting off more than three inches of it at a time. The loss of over three inches of blade can stress out the root system, leaving it vulnerable to diseases. Conversely, never cut your grass too short, either! Cool-season grasses should typically be maintained at about 3 inches in height, warm-season grasses at about 2-and-a-half inches.

To make your mowing easier, ensure that you have a level lawn. To get rid of valleys, all you need to do is fill in the dips with topsoil and then add grass seed. To get rid of bumps - use a spade to carefully cut an X-shape into the bump, so that you can peel back the sod. Remove the soil underneath to the appropriate level, and then roll back the sod.

Aerate the soil
The root system of grasses needs air in the soil to grow. These air pockets also allow moisture to reach the roots...if the ground is too compacted the water will simply run off.

Don't aerate during the dry summer months - your lawn is already stressed out. But after a good rain - you should always aerate when the earth is nice and damp - rent an aerator which actually removes clumps of soil, or cores - about a half inch in diameter and a half inch deep, from the soil and leaves them scattered in the lawn. Don't worry, the cores will soon break up and work their way back into the soil.

There's another type of aerator that simply punches holes into the soil without removing the cores - this does not provide the same quality of aeration and should be avoided.

Water Works
There's no need to water your lawn very often. Indeed, its not good for your lawn if you water lightly every few days. The root system of your grasses needs to dig deep into the soil to be healthy, and it will only do that if the water goes deep into the soil, so that it must seek it out. So water heavily, soaking the soil to a depth of at least six inches. Then let the ground dry out before watering again.

How do you know if the ground has dried out? Walk across the grass. If it springs back, you know that the ground is still moist. If it lies flat, it's time to water again.

Fertilizer
There are many fertilizers on the market. Many people over-use fertilizer, which is a pity because the run-off from your lawn, including the fertilizer, will go directly into the nearest lake and do damage to the wildlife there.

Fertilize cool-season lawns in the early fall, warm-season lawns from early spring to late summer. Apply only the amount called for in the directions - which you must read carefully! Apply the fertilizer to dry grass, and then water well afterward.

With these few simple tips, your lawn will stay green and healthy.

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