No American home is complete without a well-kept lawn. In fact, for many Americans, their lawn is a point of pride. But if you have never been responsible for your own lawn before, it can be hard to know where to begin in getting it up to scratch. Here are 6 lawn care tips for any beginner who is looking to get serious about their lawn care.
Table of Contents
Identify Your Soil Type
One of the first and most important rules of lawn care is that the state of your lawn above ground will reflect its health underground. If you want your lawn to look healthy and the grass to grow, you need to understand the soil beneath. That soil will provide your grass and plants with the vital nutrients they need to thrive.
In order to find out what kind of soil you have, you should contact your local County Extension office. They will be able to provide you with the test kits that you need to test your soil and send directly to soil laboratories to process the results for you. Alternatively, you can ask your neighbors if they are avid gardeners as they will almost certainly have the same soil as you.
Picking the Right Fertilizer
Choosing the right fertilizer is essential for maximizing growth and maintaining the health of your grass and plants. You can view this page for more detailed information about the different types of fertilizer available and what each of them will do for your lawn. It is hard to overstate how much of a difference your choice of fertilizer can make to your lawn as a whole.
Choose Grass That Is Suitable for Your Region
One of the secrets to an exceptional looking lawn is choosing the right kind of grass. If you try to grow grass that isn’t suited to the region you live in, then you are going to run into all sorts of unnecessary difficulties. However, choosing the right kind of grass will ensure that during the growth period, your grass will be able to flourish.
Timing Is Everything
For both grass and flowers, timing is very important. You need to make sure that you are planting your seeds at the right time of year. Otherwise, your plants will either fail to take root or they will be stunted in their growth.
Feed Your Lawn Properly
One of the most common long-term mistakes that beginners make is to assume that their grass will maintain itself with little input from them. Most people realize that they have to periodically cut their grass to prevent it from becoming overgrown. However, lots of people under-appreciate the importance of feeding their grass, especially if they want the lawn to look particularly lush and vibrant.
Weed Out the Weeds
If you allow weeds to take hold on your lawn, then they can quickly go from a minor annoyance to a serious issue. Weeds will steal resources away from the rest of the flora in your garden, meaning that there are fewer nutrients available. Whenever you spot a plant that shouldn’t be there, make sure to take care of it straight away.
Maintaining a healthy lawn doesn’t have to be difficult. Once you have the basics down, it becomes much easier to keep your lawn looking its best throughout the year.
