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By: Hans Dekker
What type of lawn care works best for you depends on the time
and money you decide to put into your lawn. If your lawn is
your hobby, you can spend thousands of dollars and hundreds
of hours of time on it.
On the other side of the fence, if what you want is a low-maintenance
green expanse that you can enjoy with family and friends,
you've come to the right page!
The best lawn care tip you can get is to start with a solid
plan.
1. Do you need to plant grass? Do some research on the best
seed for your area, where to buy it cheap, and when it's available.
Depending on where you live, you'll plant either cool season
or warm season grass.
Cool season grass, planted in northern areas, is usually
best planted in early fall, but if you missed planting then,
plant it in the spring when soil temperatures reach 50 F.
Warm season grass needs soil temps of 70F to thrive and is
the choice for southern plantings. Don't make the mistake
of thinking you can plant warm season grass in the upper Midwest.
Warm season grasses are bred to thrive in southern climates
and are not winter hardy in the north.
2. Of course, you'll keep new grass plantings moist, but
once grass reaches a height of three inches, water it deeply
once a week.
A healthy lawn needs about an inch of water a week. When
watering, remember to consider recent rainfalls. Shallow watering
techniques keep grass from sinking the deep roots that your
lawn needs to compete with deep-rooted weeds.
3. Do you already have a lawn? Aerate it in the spring while
it's still moist and before the spring rains are done.
Aerating your lawn in the springtime gives microbes and other
small life forms a breath of fresh air after winter. Aeration
also makes new paths for drainage and keeps your lawn from
becoming saturated.
4. A lot is written about lawn fertilizer and the big question
is why? Grass is the most efficient user of nitrogen on earth!
Feed your soil with nutrient rich compost and let your lawn
get its nutrients the natural way. The more chemicals you
use, the more you disturb the natural biological processes
that convert organic matter into nutrients and the microbes
and other small organisms that take natural care of your lawn.
5. Mow your grass high. A 2 ½ to 3-inch high cut makes
your lawn look fuller, feel softer, and helps keep it healthy.
Taller grass shades pesky weed seeds and keeps them from getting
established. In addition, a taller lawn is better able to
absorb sunshine and better able to retain moisture, the two
main contributors to a healthy lawn.
6. Enjoy your lawn. After all, isn't that your main reason
for having a yard?
About the author:
Hans is an avid Gardener and author of http://www.gardening-guides.com
and
http://www.lawnmower-guide.com Our
sites are packet with gardening and lawn care
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