Lawn Care

While it may seem simple enough in theory, maintaining a healthy lawn all year round is anything but easy. It requires a lot of care and consideration depending on its unique needs and changing requirements based on the season. You know that you need to water your plants, mow the grass, and occasionally add fertiliser, but it is difficult to know when to do it for best results and just how much happens to be too much.

Here, we have compiled some extremely helpful tips derived from expert opinion and practical experience to help you optimise your lawn care habits.

Mowing

Proper mowing habits will keep your lawn looking and feeling its best. That is why it is equally as important for you to look after your lawn mower as well. Keep it clean, the blades sharp, and the engine in top shape.

The goal when choosing the best time to mow is to minimise lawn stress, which is why you should do it either in the morning or in the afternoon.

Do not go overboard with the cutting and allow the grass to retain some length so it can grow back.

Watering

An important aspect of feeding your lawn properly is to understand when to water it and how much to water it. As a general rule, make sure to not water your lawn at night or right after mowing.

 

In fact, the best time to water is in the morning.

 

It is also good to remember that the grass in your lawn is capable of surviving hot and dry climates and it does not need water constantly. That is why you should invest in a timed sprinkler.

Fertilisation

Fertilisation is necessary for a well fed and maintained lawn. The best routine would be to mow your lawn and fertilise it two to three days later without watering it beforehand.

Make sure to clean the area and remove the dead material before you add the fertiliser.

Your fertiliser will most likely come with instructions to reap the ideal results and it is best to stick to them.

Regardless of what kind you use, remember to spread it out evenly across the soil with the help of a spreader.

Aeration

As you and your family members trek through the lawn, your footsteps press down on the ground and cause parts of the dirt to become compact in places. These dense blocks of soil cannot be pierced by the growing roots of the grass and plants, thus hampering their access to water and nutrients, and ultimately leading to wilting. To counter this compaction problem, you have to make sure that you occasionally aerate the soil in your lawn. Aeration simply means to incorporate some air into the dirt to ensure the particles are close enough to allow proper root growth and spread. This can be done with a simple lawn rake over large patches of the lawn. For relatively smaller patches, you can use a small garden fork to dig up around 5 cm of soil and shake it up to create some space in the ground. This is also a good time to add your fertiliser so that it mixes in well with the soil.