Things to Consider
Your lawn is in urgent need of care. But everything you have tried has not worked. What can you do? Below are some basic lawn care tips to help you attain that beautiful green lawn, leaving your neighbours envious.
First, it is important to note that no two lawns are the same. There are many factors that influence water requirements for your lawn. If you have high-quality bluegrass or ryegrass, the lawn would need at least 2.25 inches of water each week when it is hot outside. When the weather is cooler, your lawn will require a lot less water. If you have a turf-type tall fescue, then less water is required than it is for ryegrass, if it can grow a deep root system. However, it will require as much water as the ryegrass otherwise. The blue grama and buffalograss lawns do not require as much water and will continue to look green for weeks without watering, even during the hottest days of the summer.
When lawns are shady or are protected from the wind, they will require less water over the growing season. If you have mature trees and shrubs in your yard, you will need to water more as they will compete for water. Moreover, when the turf is properly mowed, fertilized and cultivated, the water will be used more efficiently.
When you are trying to determine how much water is good for your lawn, use a soil probe or shovel to determine how far down the roots go. If they go down six inches, water until the soil is moistened to that depth.
Not only should you know how far down the roots go, but also what type of irrigation you have in your lawn. For instance, when you are dealing with clay in your soil, it is best to water one to one and one-half inches of water for a root zone six inches deep. When the soil is sandy, less water is needed.
The frequency of watering will depend on the type of irrigation you have, such as a more sandy soil versus a soil containing more clay. Watering less will usually mean that there is more efficient water use but also will reduce the number of weeds that you get in your lawn.
The best times to water is the late evening and early morning hours. This is usually because there is less wind, more humid, and it is cooler, resulting in less evaporation. Additionally, water pressure is better which resulting in better distributing patterns. Moreover, watering at night does not promote diseases to develop in your lawn.
When mowing your lawn, it is important to remember to things. First, the minimum height for any lawn is two inches. Some types of lawns require higher lengths, such as the Colorado type, which is approximately 2.5 to 3 inches. If you mow to a height shorter than two inches, this can result in decreased drought and heat tolerance in addition to promoting disease, weed and insect invasions. Mowing at the same height throughout the year will result in a healthier lawn.
It is also a good habit to allow the grass clippings to fall back onto the lawn unless you are using to create a compost or mulching pile. The clippings will provide a source of nutrients for the lawn, plus they decompose very quickly. If you use any sort of herbicides on the lawn, do not gather the clippings and put them into the vegetable or flower gardens.
Hiring Trusted Professionals
Few people enjoy lawn care, but without regular maintenance, you'll find that you grass doesn't look very nice. In the summer, you may have to deal with irrigation, and when the weather is nice, you need to cut your grass to avoid overgrowth, which can lead to pest problems and city fines. On top of that, lawn care duties that you may experience every year include raking leaves, pest control, weeding, and pruning. For some, this is a great way to spend a warm weekend day, but for others, lawn care is a nightmare.
Before you rip out all of your grass and replace it with stone or asphalt, consider instead hiring someone to help. Some people don't like to do this because lawn care professionals can be expensive, but hiring that teen down the street isn't very reliable. To find the best price and value, check out TrustedPros instead.
At TrustedPros, you can find all kinds of contractors to help you with your home improvement and maintenance projects, including lawn care. TrustedPros takes the guesswork out of the process - you can review each contractor's experience, price, and more to find the one that is right for you. No more blind hiring!
Before hiring a lawn care contractor or any other service professionals we recommend reading our hiring tips.