With a little tender love and care, there’s no reason your lawn shouldn’t be the envy of your neighborhood this summer. You can have a lush green lawn as long as you’re willing to take the time to devote to the cause. We’re not going to mislead you and tell you it will be easy, but it will be worth it. Once you get into a weekly routine, you’ll find that having a greener lawn is highly achievable. Here are ten tips that will make sure you have a green lawn all summer long this year.
1. Test Your Soil
Testing PH levels isn’t just for your pool. It’s important to understand the chemical composition of your lawn as well. There are many different types of fertilizer on the market and knowing your soils pH levels will help you choose the products with the right mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and other enriching chemicals for you. Your lawn can’t grow and thrive if it doesn’t have the right mix of nutrients, just like we can’t achieve a healthy body without the right foods.
2. Fertilize
Now that you know the right mix of nutrients for the soil conditions in your yard it’s time to act on that knowledge. You can do a quick search online to see what products are available at your local garden center that have the right mix of nutrients for your lawn or you can pay them a visit in person.
If you’re still not sure what type of fertilizer will help your lawn, take those pH level testing results with you to the garden center and ask one of their experts for help – they’ll know exactly what you need. Keep in mind it’s best to fertilize your lawn at least twice every year – in the spring and in the fall. Fertilizing in the fall gives your lawn the extra nutrient boost to make it through a long cold winter and come out healthy and ready for growth on the other side. For more information, check out our recommendations for the best lawn fertilizers.
3. Eliminate Weeds
No matter how much effort you put into making your lawn greener, you’re going to have to deal with the creeping problem of weeds from time to time. This doesn’t have to be frustrating if you’re prepared with a strategy to fight back. Depending on where you live you may simply be able to use a fertilizer with a herbicide to combat the problem, but there are more and more restrictions on these types of products every year due to environmental concerns.
There are also many effective spray bottle weed killers you can find at your local garden center as well. If you only have a few weeds to deal with, it’s always better to tackle them one at a time by digging them out at the roots if you can. It may be a bit time consuming, but it’s a highly effective option and much better for the environment.
4. Dealing With Insects
Insects such as grubs are another major problem that can derail your plans for a greener lawn this summer. For this type of problem, you will probably have to look at one of the many lawn pest control products available on the market. If you can, try to minimize their use by targeting problem areas only. If you don’t have to use these products on the entire lawn, you’ll save money and you won’t have to worry about pets or small children who might contact them.
5. Sprinkle Some Grass Seed
Sprinkling some grass seed around brown patches on your lawn can help to renew that area and encourage new growth. If you know what type of grass your lawn is, look for a seed that matches, if you’re not sure consult your local garden center – they’ll probably have a good idea of what’s common in your area. Just remember to make sure that your newly seeded grass gets lots of water, so that it can grow and fill in those brow patches with healthy new green grass.
6. Water Deep Not Often
If you’ve seen your neighbors watering their grass for a few minutes every day you might have been tempted to do the same for yours, but you shouldn’t. Watering your lawn is important – it’s just that you should be watering deeply a couple of times a week. You want the water to get down into the root system, so you need to leave it on for longer periods at least twice a week. Also, make sure to water early in the morning or at least in the early evening when the sun isn’t at its hottest.
7. Don’t Forget To Aerate
If you want a healthy lawn aerating is a must. This should be done in the spring and the late fall. Over the summer period, your soil tends to harden with a lot of foot traffic and those extra grass clippings can smother it as well. When you aerate you’re allowing nutrients and air to make their way into the root system of your lawn. If you don’t own an aerator you’ll find them at your local hardware store and many places rent them as well.
8. Lawn Blade Maintenance And Height Adjustment
There’s more to cutting your lawn than just firing up the mower once a week. You need to make sure that the blade is kept sharp and that you’re cutting at the right height. A dull blade rips at your lawn and can do a lot of damage. Finding the right height may take a bit of experimentation, but the main idea is not to cut it too short, leaving ugly brown patches.
9. Recycle Grass Clippings
You might not like leaving grass clippings on your grass, but your lawn does. They provide extra nutrients for your lawn that can help it grow. As an added bonus it also makes your life a little easier as you don’t have to rake and collect them!
10. Compost For A Healthy Lawn
Using a sprinkling of the compost material that you’ve collected can be a great contributor to your lawn’s health. That waste material is full of nutrients that can promote growth. Just remember not to overdo it, you don’t want to smother your lawn and prevent it from getting the air that it needs as well.
Final Tips
These steps may seem like a lot to digest, but they’ll become second nature after the first season. The extra work you put in will lead to the best lawn on the block and you’ll be outside enjoying the fresh air while you work on it. It’s the ideal formula for a healthy lawn and a more enjoyable summer!
