Having the greenest lawn in the neighborhood can grant a homeowner a sense of pride and accomplishment, especially when they’re surrounded by a block of deteriorating, browning, and under-watered lawns. Besides earning you the title of lawn care extraordinaire, a green, lush front yard can improve your home’s aesthetic quality and can even increase your home’s resale value.
For those homeowners striving for the greenest lawn in your neighborhood, a patch-less, well-watered yard is well within reach. By following the steps below, researching watering methods, and purchasing the right equipment, you can transform your browning front yard into the lawn of your dreams.
Over seeding your lawn
Over seeding your lawn is an inexpensive and simple way to restore its condition. All you need to do is spread new lawn seed on your existing lawn and wait for results.
Over time, a lawn can thin out, be affected by heat stress, and develop bare spots. A brown and patchy lawn can occur as a result of foot traffic, roughhousing children or dogs, and dry weather conditions. Over seeding is a great way to combat thinning and effectively thicken your lawn. By increasing your grass density, you can reduce weeds and fill in bare spots.
When you over seed your lawn, you’ll want to purchase a high-quality lawn seed from a reputable company like Nature’s Seed. Be sure to choose a grass type recommended for your local region and climate. Any responsible homeowner should also consider how foot traffic and shade may affect the lawn.
Steps to over seeding your lawn are:
- Mow the lawn first, at a lower setting than usual.
- Use a leaf rake and rake up leaves and other debris.
- Use a fertilizer spreader to spread the new grass seed.
- Water daily for the next two weeks or as needed to keep the lawn moist.
Don’t use a weed and feed type of fertilizer while the new grass seed is germinating and starting to grow. This type of fertilizer could potentially kill the sprouting grass.
Watering the lawn
Watering too lightly and over-watering are the most common lawn care mistakes a homeowner can make. The average lawn will need a good deep soaking about once every three days, more or less, depending on your weather conditions.
One surefire way to tell if your lawn is too dry is to walk across the yard. If you can see your footsteps, your grass is too dry. If it sounds crunchy and brittle when you walk across the lawn, this is also an indication of low moisture. To avoid browning, water your yard before it reaches this stage.
A lawn usually needs between 1 inch and 1.5 inches of water per week. A responsible homeowner should water their yard thoroughly. Often, a quick watering won’t suffice. The best time to water your yard is in the early morning, before the heat of the day. Watering late at night can promote fungus and lawn diseases.
Fertilizing the lawn
Regular fertilization is necessary to maintain a healthy lawn year-round. There are two main types of fertilizer: weed and feed and regular fertilizer. Weed and feed supplies your grass with all the nutrients it needs while eliminating weeds simultaneously. If you opt for weed and feed, keep it away from any garden plants.
Before applying the fertilizer, note that chemical fertilizers typically contain nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). While these chemical fertilizers rejuvenate your lawn quickly, they don’t do much to keep the soil healthy. Chemical fertilizers can burn your grass if you’re not careful.
If you want to go green, you can use organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers contain these three elements and more to promote soil health and encourage a vibrant, green lawn.
For optimal results, you should fertilize your lawn in the spring, as soon as the lawn begins to green. Fertilize again during the summer between June and early August, and once more in the fall, about 6 to 8 weeks after the summer feeding. This fertilization strategy will help keep your lawn healthy even during the cold winter months.
Mowing the lawn
Proper mowing is an essential step in achieving a healthy, green lawn. Make sure to sharpen your lawn mower blades, as dull blades will tear the grass blades instead of cutting. Improper mowing techniques may result in a yard with a flat, whitish color rather than the vibrant green you desire. Torn grass blades will also invite disease and insects that can damage the lawn further.
Another common mistake is to mow the lawn too short. Mowing the grass too short can cause it to dry out and burn during the occasional blistering hot summer day. Different types of grass demand different mowing heights. Use the one-third rule, and only cut a third of the total grass length each time you mow.
As an additional precaution, you shouldn’t mow your lawn when it’s wet, as this method will leave clumps of uncut grass. If you choose to keep the lawn clippings in your yard, make sure not to cut too much, or these clippings can suffocate the lawn.
Another mowing tip is to mow your lawn in different directions each time you mow. Alternating direction ensures all the blades of grass are properly cut rather than flattened out. This technique gives your lawn a different look each time, ideal for any homeowner hoping to introduce some variety into their lawn care.
Lawn aeration
All summer long, you and your family play and entertain in your backyard. Daily wear-and-tear can compact the soil. If the soil becomes too compacted, water can’t effortlessly penetrate the lawn and reach its roots, resulting in browning and dryness. Aerating the lawn will break up the compacted soil, allowing air and water to access the lawn’s root system.
Final thoughts
To make your lawn the envy of your neighbors, employ these lawn care strategies. Despite popular belief, a vibrant green yard isn’t a surface-level concern. Without proper watering, aeration, mowing, and fertilizing, you, as the homeowner, risk depreciating home value.