As a homeowner, you need to know that your garden is a reflection of your personality. A well kept garden shows that you are responsible and know exactly what to do with your lawn, plants and flowers and when.
Let us tackle what you need to know about caring for your lawn all throughout the four seasons. Let us start with Spring.
Spring
This is the best time to maximize the beauty of your lawn. Fresh from a long winter, your lawn is set to turn green again. It is a sensitive time for your yard though as the soul is spongy, the weather is unpredictable and the plants are tender. You must address a couple of important gardening tasks.
1. Be very aware of the kind of grass that you have in your lawn. Determine whether they are cool-season or warm-season grasses. For example, fescue, rye, and bluegrass are cool-season whereas Zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine and centipede are warm-season grasses. By understanding the type of grass you have as well as the its peak, you can address your lawn accordingly.
2. You must avoid heavy yard work in the spring until the soil dries out. Hard raking and foot traffic can disturb the soggy soil which eventually damage new and tender grass shoots. The minute the soil is good and dry, give your lawn a good spring cleaning in order to encourage the growth of the grass. Remove the fallen debris and leaves and rake the fluff up in order to separate the grass shoots and decrease the possibilities of pests and diseases.
3. The type of grass you have influences when and how you should fertilize your lawn. Cool-season grasses must not be heavily fertilized during the spring. If the lawn is in bad shape, then this should be fertilized lightly with a balanced, slow release fertilizer. As for warm season grasses, you can fertilize these in late spring as soon as the lawn greens up. This is usually done in April or May.
4. Other spring lawn tasks includes aeration. This is best done during the peak's growing season. Then there is dethatching which is also done during the peak growing season, immediately right after aerating. Mowing must be done as soon as the lawn needs it and watering when the grass starts growing. Insect control and caring for your lawn equipment should also be looked into.
Summer
You have to take care of your lawn during summer more than spring, especially when you live in really hot states. The hotter the weather, the more effort you should exert in keeping the lawn intact.
1. Fertilize your lawn about 30 days before the hot summer temperature arrives. Use slow-release fertilizer that has a small amount of nitrogen. Follow the instructions carefully when applying fertilizer.
2. Water your lawn properly. The heat from the summer evaporates the water faster and because of this the grass needs more water in order to seep into the roots. Measure how much water you put your plants. Your lawn needs about 1 inch of water every week to stay healthy especially during the hot summer. Water early in the morning and in the middle of the day or night, whenever is convenient for you.
3. Keep children's swimming pools and plastic water toys off the lawn as these will smother the grass which cause brown spots.
4. Mow your grass to the right length. The average is 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches long, depending on the kind of grass that you have. The cool-season grasses must be kept between 1 ½ to 2 inches and the warm-season grasses must be kept to 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches. Rather than mowing weekly or biweekly, you can mow when the grass grows beyond the ideal height. Mow the lawn early in the morning or in the evening as opposed to the hottest time of the day.
5. Tackle the weeds the minute you see them growing. Use spot-treatment weed control product that is designed for lawns. Use this sparingly so that you do not burn the grass.
Autumn
Autumn is the harbinger of winter but this does not mean that you should not spend much time thinking about your lawn. Because it has cooler temperatures and occasional rainfall but this is the ideal time to prepare your lawn so that you have a green and lush one in the spring. Many homeowners think that this is the time when you can care less because the grass grows slower anyway. This is not true.
1. You have to continue mowing as needed especially throughout autumn. As soon as the season is about to end, you already let in more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass. There will also be less leaf to turn brown during the winter.
2. Aerate the soil. Fall is the ideal time to aerate your lawn so that the oxygen water and fertilizer can reach the roots of the grass. Make sure that there are holes in the soil so that you can extract the plugs of dirt.
3. Rake the leaves. This is not fun but it is very important to remove the fallen leaves from the lawn as soon as possible. If you don't, then the leaves become wet from the morning dew and the rain and it stick together, forming an impenetrable mat that suffocates the grass and is the breeding ground of fungal disease.
4. Fertilize your lawn. If there are bald spots, this is the best time to fix it. You can use a garden rake to scratch the loose soul. Spread the thick layer of the lawn and compact the mixture. Water every other day for two weeks.
Winter
Finally, you still need to take care of your garden during the winter, especially that they are battling the cold temperature. This season is unpredictable and might even put your lawn through extreme conditions so you have to monitor the weather and keep your sidewalks clear.
1. You have to clean your lawn. Do not leave debris, dry leaves or toys out on the lawn as these smother the grass and create disease conditions. These also invite insects, mice and other damaging pests.
2. You have to mow as often as you could. It might be freezing and thawing when you do this but it should be done whenever the weeds are growing longer than normal.
3. Be aware of weather conditions. The turf is very resilient and can also tolerate extreme weather but some plants may not be able to handle this in the long run. It might be worth your while to chip away the little exposed ice in the low spot especially if a winter storm or deep freeze is fast approaching.
Taking care of your lawn all year round may require so much effort from you but you will feel the reward especially when your guests compliment your hard work. You can be the judge of your own work. If you think your garden can look better, then go out there and do what you can.
Let us tackle what you need to know about caring for your lawn all throughout the four seasons. Let us start with Spring.
Spring
This is the best time to maximize the beauty of your lawn. Fresh from a long winter, your lawn is set to turn green again. It is a sensitive time for your yard though as the soul is spongy, the weather is unpredictable and the plants are tender. You must address a couple of important gardening tasks.
1. Be very aware of the kind of grass that you have in your lawn. Determine whether they are cool-season or warm-season grasses. For example, fescue, rye, and bluegrass are cool-season whereas Zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine and centipede are warm-season grasses. By understanding the type of grass you have as well as the its peak, you can address your lawn accordingly.
2. You must avoid heavy yard work in the spring until the soil dries out. Hard raking and foot traffic can disturb the soggy soil which eventually damage new and tender grass shoots. The minute the soil is good and dry, give your lawn a good spring cleaning in order to encourage the growth of the grass. Remove the fallen debris and leaves and rake the fluff up in order to separate the grass shoots and decrease the possibilities of pests and diseases.
3. The type of grass you have influences when and how you should fertilize your lawn. Cool-season grasses must not be heavily fertilized during the spring. If the lawn is in bad shape, then this should be fertilized lightly with a balanced, slow release fertilizer. As for warm season grasses, you can fertilize these in late spring as soon as the lawn greens up. This is usually done in April or May.
4. Other spring lawn tasks includes aeration. This is best done during the peak's growing season. Then there is dethatching which is also done during the peak growing season, immediately right after aerating. Mowing must be done as soon as the lawn needs it and watering when the grass starts growing. Insect control and caring for your lawn equipment should also be looked into.
Summer
You have to take care of your lawn during summer more than spring, especially when you live in really hot states. The hotter the weather, the more effort you should exert in keeping the lawn intact.
1. Fertilize your lawn about 30 days before the hot summer temperature arrives. Use slow-release fertilizer that has a small amount of nitrogen. Follow the instructions carefully when applying fertilizer.
2. Water your lawn properly. The heat from the summer evaporates the water faster and because of this the grass needs more water in order to seep into the roots. Measure how much water you put your plants. Your lawn needs about 1 inch of water every week to stay healthy especially during the hot summer. Water early in the morning and in the middle of the day or night, whenever is convenient for you.
3. Keep children's swimming pools and plastic water toys off the lawn as these will smother the grass which cause brown spots.
4. Mow your grass to the right length. The average is 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches long, depending on the kind of grass that you have. The cool-season grasses must be kept between 1 ½ to 2 inches and the warm-season grasses must be kept to 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches. Rather than mowing weekly or biweekly, you can mow when the grass grows beyond the ideal height. Mow the lawn early in the morning or in the evening as opposed to the hottest time of the day.
5. Tackle the weeds the minute you see them growing. Use spot-treatment weed control product that is designed for lawns. Use this sparingly so that you do not burn the grass.
Autumn
Autumn is the harbinger of winter but this does not mean that you should not spend much time thinking about your lawn. Because it has cooler temperatures and occasional rainfall but this is the ideal time to prepare your lawn so that you have a green and lush one in the spring. Many homeowners think that this is the time when you can care less because the grass grows slower anyway. This is not true.
1. You have to continue mowing as needed especially throughout autumn. As soon as the season is about to end, you already let in more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass. There will also be less leaf to turn brown during the winter.
2. Aerate the soil. Fall is the ideal time to aerate your lawn so that the oxygen water and fertilizer can reach the roots of the grass. Make sure that there are holes in the soil so that you can extract the plugs of dirt.
3. Rake the leaves. This is not fun but it is very important to remove the fallen leaves from the lawn as soon as possible. If you don't, then the leaves become wet from the morning dew and the rain and it stick together, forming an impenetrable mat that suffocates the grass and is the breeding ground of fungal disease.
4. Fertilize your lawn. If there are bald spots, this is the best time to fix it. You can use a garden rake to scratch the loose soul. Spread the thick layer of the lawn and compact the mixture. Water every other day for two weeks.
Winter
Finally, you still need to take care of your garden during the winter, especially that they are battling the cold temperature. This season is unpredictable and might even put your lawn through extreme conditions so you have to monitor the weather and keep your sidewalks clear.
1. You have to clean your lawn. Do not leave debris, dry leaves or toys out on the lawn as these smother the grass and create disease conditions. These also invite insects, mice and other damaging pests.
2. You have to mow as often as you could. It might be freezing and thawing when you do this but it should be done whenever the weeds are growing longer than normal.
3. Be aware of weather conditions. The turf is very resilient and can also tolerate extreme weather but some plants may not be able to handle this in the long run. It might be worth your while to chip away the little exposed ice in the low spot especially if a winter storm or deep freeze is fast approaching.
Taking care of your lawn all year round may require so much effort from you but you will feel the reward especially when your guests compliment your hard work. You can be the judge of your own work. If you think your garden can look better, then go out there and do what you can.
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