Lawn care tips for healthy lush grass

With the arrival of Spring, anyone that has a garden with lawn knows it’s time to start prepping for another year of growth and colour.

09/09/2018

Just like every home is different, so every lawn is going to have different requirements based on size, location, and many other factors. But for now, let’s look at the lawn itself and how we prepare for lush, green growth.

After a winter of hibernation, as Spring arrives the days will be getting longer and the temperature warmer. That will be a signal to your lawn to start growing again. But there are a few things you can do to ensure that this season the process is a smooth one that gives you a green, luxuriant surface that looks great for your home.

How level is your lawn?

This subject is generally not given much thought, but the secret to easier lawn maintenance is an even surface. While anything can happen in nature that can foil any gardening plan, if you’ve got an uneven lawn you can do something about it!

If there are ups and downs in your lawn, a typical lawnmower is going to shave this area much too thinly compared to the rest of your lawn, and water can pool in these in areas, causing drainage problems. Depending on your particular situation, you should fill up dips and flatten bumps. This will quickly improve the look of your lawn, as well as make it easier to care for.

De-thatching is good for lawn

De-thatching a lawn is the process of running a rake over the top of your lawn before the rains start to ensure your lawn is not blocked by a layer of dead grass.  Instead of gathering up dead leaves, you’ll be gathering up the layer of dead grass that sits on top of the lawn.

It isn't essential to remove all the dead grass, and by leaving a little bit of the dead grass behind you’re giving your lawn a boost with some natural fertiliser. About 10mm is plenty to give your grass a nutrient boost for when the growing period starts. It’s always best to do this in the spring, before your grass has had a chance to grow, when they won’t be affected by the de-thatching process much.

Aerate the soil

Over the season the soil underneath a lawn becomes compact and hard, and this makes it difficult for air, water, and even worms to travel through the soil and properly distribute essential nutrients and moisture. Grass has a more difficult time growing in compacted soil, although weeds, being hardier, can usually push on and make a go of it even under these conditions.

By aerating your soil in the spring - with a spiked garden roller or garden forks - you'll be breaking up the compacted soil and  allowing more space for air and water to penetrate more thoroughly underground.

Attend to bare spots

Not all areas of a lawn is going to be growing rich and lush. From time to time you may encounter bald spots or areas  taken over by weeds. You will also have areas where pets have urinated repeatedly and killed off the grass. Spring is the best time to start replanting these areas with seed. Just rake out any dead grass, or remove weeds, reseed, and keep giving water and love, the bare spots will grow back.

Cut at the right height

Be careful about how short you cut your grass since a lot of the nutrients in the grass are stored closer to the tip, and by cutting away too much can impact the health of the grass. Additionally, the shorter you cut the grass, the more you expose the soil to sunlight, giving weeds a chance to grow while longer grass will actually choke out weeds.

GOOD TO KNOW: Leave the grass clippings on your lawn. Cut grass acts as a natural fertiliser for the rest of your lawn, so let it fall where it may to help your lawn to stay healthy.

source: https://www.ddslandscaping.com.au