Turf Maintenance for Homeowners: How to Achieve a Picture-Perfect Lawn

Brown spots. Weeds. Thinning. These are all problems that lawns can run into-unless you’re facilitating proper lawn care. The question is: what does proper lawn care entail? There’s quite a bit that goes into it, and we’re going to discuss it all in detail below. Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about turf maintenance for homeowners.

Mow It Regularly

First and foremost, you need to mow your lawn regularly. Ideally, you’ll mow it around once a week, at least during the growing season. When mowing, you should only cut around a third of the grass’s starting height.

So, if the grass is 6 inches long, you should only cut 2 inches of it. Cutting down further than this is bound to result in an uneven mow, the likes of which will make your yard look blemished and off-kilter.

You’re also advised to mow the lawn toward the end of the evening. This way, the nighttime dew can moisturize and hydrate the newly cut grass.

Water It Consistently

If you want your grass to be luscious and healthy, you need to water it on a consistent basis. Ideally, you’ll water it 2 to 3 times a week. Everyday watering isn’t necessary unless the grass seed is brand new.

You could water your lawn with a handheld hose. However, in general, the best method is to use a sprinkler. Ensure that it’s covering the entire lawn and let it run for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

Do this 2 to 3 times a week and you should be golden.

Fertilize!

Water alone will go a long way in producing a beautiful lawn. However, it won’t do all the work. If you really want your lawn to shine, you need to fertilize it as well.

Ideally, you’ll fertilize your lawn 4 times a year, all within the optimal growing season. This runs from March through October. Fertilize the yard fully every 2 months within this time range, and it will be the greenest on the block.

Note that, when choosing a fertilizer, you need to find one that suits your species of grass. If you’re having trouble finding this, give a call to your local lawn care company. They’ll not only find the appropriate fertilizer but spread it on for you as well.

Kill Weeds as Soon as Possible

The longer a weed sits in your yard, the higher the likelihood there is of its seeds spreading and creating more weeds. This is why, when you find a weed, you need to eliminate it as soon as possible.

You want to limit the amount of weed killer that you put on your yard. Spot-killing individual weeds is the way to do this. This is because you can simply pull the weed instead of applying a chemical weed killer.

If you do end up in a situation where weed killer is needed, we strongly advise calling up a professional lawn care company. They’ll know just how much chemical to use without doing damage to the lawn.

Have Your Soil Aerated

If you really want to get the most out of your lawn, you need to aerate it. Aeration is a process wherein perforations are punched into the ground. This opens up the soil, thereby allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots of the grass.

When you don’t aerate your lawn, the grassroots can have trouble gaining the full benefit of the nutrients added. This results in a less green lawn overall.

Now, how often should you aerate your lawn? We advise aerating it once or twice a year, depending on how much traffic the lawn sees.

If it sees heavy traffic on a daily basis, two aerations a year is the best course of action. If it sees very little traffic, once a year will suffice.

Nip Pests in the Bud

Lawns can be subject to all sorts of pests, from ants to mice and more. If you allow these pests to infiltrate your property, they will undoubtedly lessen the quality of your yard, killing grass, tearing up soil, and more.

This is why, the second you notice a pest problem arising, you need to nip it in the bud. The sooner you get on it, the less damage there will be to your lawn.

There are a number of methods for eliminating lawn-related pest problems. The method you use will depend on the type of pest you’re facing, and the extent of their infiltration.

In most cases, when dealing with such problems, we advise calling up a professional lawn care company. They know exactly how to stop the spread of yard-related pest problems.

Keep Your Dog Confined to a Small Portion of the Yard

Have dogs? Let them out into your yard to do their business? If so, you should confine them to a small portion of the yard when doing so.

Why? Because dog urine kills grass. So, if you’re letting your dog pee all over your yard, there’s going to be dead grass as far as the eye can see. If you force your dog to pee in a small area of the yard, however, the damage will be limited to just that area.

Yes, the damage in that small area might be severe. However, because it’s such a small area, it won’t be anywhere near as noticeable as it would be were the damage spread throughout the entire yard.

Need Assistance With Turf Maintenance in Houston, TX?

And with that, we’ve told you how to care for a residential lawn. Follow these tips to a tee, and you should have one of the best-looking lawns in the neighborhood.

Don’t have the time or wherewithal to carry out these landscaping tips? Do you need assistance with home turf maintenance in Houston, TX? If so, we here at Coastal Green Turf Management have you covered.

We’re well-versed in maintaining turf, and provide a variety of turf-related services. These include turf installation, fertilization, weed elimination, aeration, and more. Contact us now to discuss your turf-related needs!

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