Buying a home for the first time is an exciting right of passage. For people who have never had the responsibility of lawn care, however, it can be a bit of a learning curve. Knowing how to care for grass depending on the season and the region of the country can add to the challenges for new homeowners. The tips below can make even the most timid lawn care newcomer feel comfortable with the tasks at hand.
Lawn Care by Season
Season and climate are both important factors in lawn care. When caring for grass in the spring and summer, it’s important to remove crabgrass with pre-emergent before the start of the spring season. Homeowners should water their lawns early and often in the spring to ensure that it grows green and healthy. A good rule of thumb is to water the lawn for 20 minutes three times a week. These tips can also help the grass stay as green as possible during the hot summer months:
- Choose a lawnmower setting of three inches or higher. This helps the remaining grass tolerate the heat much better.
- Avoid trimming more than one-third on the lawn’s height at a time.
- Stick with a watering plan but increase watering if the grass remains matted down after someone steps on it.
- Fertilize the grass at least once in the warmer months after determining which kind of grass it is.
Proper lawncare in the fall sets the stage for it to remain healthy while dormant in the winter. It’s also important to ensure healthy grass the following spring. Overseeding is appropriate for certain types of grass such as fescue. Homeowners should begin watering less often and mow for the last time in mid-November. People who live in a climate where the ground freezes in the winter should apply fertilizer to the lawn around the same time.
If managing and maintaining your lawn seems like too much time or effort, hiring an experienced lawn care professional like All Seasons Gardening Services is always an option as well.
Don’t Forget About the Rest of the Yard
Homeowners can take care to mow and water their lawn regularly and still have a problem with weeds. Although that can be disheartening, there are several simple ways to eliminate them. Using a hand shovel is usually sufficient, but homeowners must take care to dig far enough below the root of the weed to remove it entirely. Purchasing a spray to eliminate weeds or hiring a landscape professional to treat them are two additional options to consider.
The upkeep of bushes, shrubs, and trees is also essential to create an attractive outdoor space. The prevailing advice from professional landscapers is to trim the growth from each of these approximately once a year. This will require homeowners to invest in a sturdy pair of hedge clippers. Some decide that the trimming is too much work or that their bushes, shrubs, or trees are simply unattractive. Paying a professional to remove the unwanted plant is a good option in that case.
Finally, adding decorative landscaping touches to the yard can really help it feel like home. Mulch, decorative stone, or a water feature are just some ideas for new homeowners to turn their backyard into an oasis they look forward to seeing each day.
[…] One of the greatest challenges homeowners face in maintaining a healthy lawn is knowing how much water the grass needs. Lawns that don’t receive enough water quickly become dry and individual blades of grass begin to die. Learning that brown or dead grass happens due to insufficient water is lawn care 101. […]