How To Care For Your Lawn

Your lawn is probably the most visible area of your house especially if you live in a picket fence area. You have to take good care of it simply because it serves many purposes - as a showcase of your gardening skills, as a place for family gatherings and as a good entrance to your home. Of course, to take good care of your lawn, you must lay down the foundation of a good lawn. Let this article be your basic guide in starting and maintaining a good, if not exemplary, lawn.

Right Grass, Right Planting Time 

The best foundation for a good lawn is to plant the right grass according to soil conditions, general climate and level of care necessary. Otherwise, you will end up with a lawn that simply refuses to be taken cared of.

As a general rule, if you live in the northern parts of the country, cool-season species of grass are appropriate. There are three major cool-season grasses - bluegrasses, fescues and perennial ryegrass - upon which other cultivars are based. The best growth periods are in the spring and fall, with summer and winter as the dormancy periods.

If you are in the southern areas, the warm-season grasses are best. These grasses include Bermuda, centipede, zoysia, and Bahia, which must be seeded in deep, well-drained soils. For transition areas, you can mix in both types of grasses so as to achieve an all-year round green effect. Needless to say, you have to plant at the right time. Thus, cool-season grasses must be sown in the fall while warm-season grasses are best seeded in spring.

Right Feeding, Right Cutting

Just as much as you have to plant the right grasses and plant at the right time, you must also provide for the right feeding. Thus, cool-season grasses must be provided with the biggest feeding during the fall while warm-season grasses should be fed with 3 equal feedings during the months of June, July and August.

Feeding also means watering. In this regard, always water during the cooler times of the evening and the day when lesser evaporation occurs. Also, take note of your location - in the North, one inch of water is sufficient after a week without rain while in the South, 2 inches during the summer is required.

Also, the right cutting time determines how good your lawn will look. Just follow these general rules and your lawn should be alright:

  * Cool-season grasses - Cut in full sun from 2-3 inches (Kentucky bluegrass) and 3-3½ inches (fescues varieties).
  * Warm-season grasses - Cut around 2 inches for the Bermuda and St. Augustine varieties.

Take note that the height abovementioned refer to the lawn height after cutting. Remember never to scalp your lawn as it can lead to faster browning, slower growth and lesser resistance to disease. And when cutting your lawn, be sure to use a sharp mower blade. This way, the grasses are subjected to less stress and, hence, will grow as green as possible.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to have a lawn that's greener than the Joneses' and the Smiths' lawns, so to speak.