Whether you’re someone obsessed with what their lawn looks like or you’re just trying to keep your home’s exterior looking nice when it comes to your lawn you want it to look good. It would be nice if it looked like the kind of lawns you see on TV or in home improvement magazines, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Especially if you live in an environment that’s not exactly suited to nurturing grass growth, whether that be because it’s too hot or too cold, or perhaps the surrounding area is more desert or marsh than grassland. That being said, whether or not it’s easy to nurture grass growth and maintain your lawn doesn’t mean it’s not impossible. With some time, dedication, and attention to detail you should be able to cultivate the kind of lawn you want. As long as you’re willing to invest the time and money to do it, you can definitely turn your brown, dead grass into the lawn of your dreams. Below are a few easy ways to breathe new life into your lawn and make it beautiful.
Manage Sunlight
Most species of grass need anywhere from four hours to six hours of constant sunlight every day in order to grow properly. That means that even if there are large patches of shade on your lawn, so long as those areas are still exposed to sunlight for the bare minimum it should be able to grow. That being said, most lawn grass species want full sun all day in order to grow well, but that’s in direct conflict with our desire for a cool, shady yard where we can spend time outside even during the hottest parts of the year. The shadiest areas of your lawn undoubtedly have a stronger presence of weeds and even pesky moss than the areas in full sun. They may even be more dirt than grass, especially under trees and near their trunks. It’s also likely that the grass itself has struggled to grow there. So what do you do?
In terms of keeping weeds at bay and establishing a thick, disease-free lawn, your preference should be to favor the grass. Sometimes tree removal or some strategic trimming can be just what you need to provide the necessary sunlight for the best possible lawn. Depending on where the trees are placed, removal may even be more beneficial to you and your home in the long term. For example, should your trees be situated close to or hanging over your driveway, you likely have to deal with the possibility of the tree dropping leaves, seeds, and twigs into your driveway or the branches scratching against the top of your car. Removing the tree is a great way to put an end to the constant need to clear your driveway of debris or run the risk of the tree scratching the paint of your car.
Renovate! Renovate! Renovate!
If your lawn suffers from a lot of bare spots, then it would be best to fill them by going through and adding seeds to the dirt patches. In fact, it would be best to get this done before weeds have a chance to grow in their place, that way the grass has time to take root in the soil and begin growing. There are many methods to going about this, usually involving digging up or tilling the dirt and adding fertilizers, compost, or topsoil along with the new grass seeds. However, there are also some methods out there where you can rent a specialized machine that will place new grass seed in the soil with your existing grass with no tilling. Whichever method you choose, the important thing is to cover all the bare patches in your lawn and then stay on top of mowing and weeding while the grass grows. Make sure to clear away other lawn debris such as thatch and other materials so that the seeds can make contact with the soil. When it comes to watering your lawn, it’s important to use the equivalent of an inch of water per week for the entire lawn. How long this can take will usually depend on the size of your lawn and what method you choose to use, such as sprinklers, watering the lawn yourself, or relying on rainfall if you live in a typically rainy area.
Be Wise When You Fertilize
The best time to fertilize your lawn is usually when everything is beginning to grow again; such as the springtime as winter thaws and the plant life can have a chance to come back to life. This is a great time to give your grass the help it needs to keep up with nature, especially if your lawn has struggled in the past. It’s also important to keep up with watering your grass, and some experts and fertilizer brands recommend watering your lawn a few days before applying fertilizer, so this may be an opportunity to put those April showers to work for you.
Timing, management, and consistency are everything when it comes to creating a beautiful lawn and how well you’re able to maintain it. If you manage your grass in a way that favors the turf instead of the weeds, provides sunlight to your healthy lawn, and keeps it properly fed at the right time of year, you’ll be able to develop a beautiful, healthy stand of grass around your home.