Nothing kills curb appeal quite like a dead, brown wasteland of a lawn. Whether you are trying to sell your property or simply want to impress the neighbors, a handsome lawn is an ideal way to do it. Good news: it’s easier than you think. Here’s how to avoid common mistakes and keep your lawn healthy and beautiful.
Water Regularly
Just like you, your lawn needs to stay hydrated to be at its best. Don’t let your lawn get too thirsty. For best results, water at night. That way, the water can soak into the ground and not evaporate in the sun.
Get a sprinkler system so that you can regulate the amount of water your grass is getting. You don’t want to over-water. That can be just as bad as under-watering.
Don’t Over-Water
We all have that neighbor who seems to always be outside watering his lawn. You may think that he is the ideal suburban man who puts everyone else on the block to shame, but he might be doing more harm than good by giving his grass so much water.
Contrary to what you might think, watering your grass every day can be harmful to its overall curb appeal. Overwatering causes your grass to develop shallow roots. Shallow roots are easy prey for bugs and diseases. Giving your lawn a good thorough watering once a week is better because the grass will develop deeper roots.
Watch for Puddles
If you notice standing water at any point in your lawn, you should trace the cause. It could be a drainage problem related to the way rainwater or sprinkler water flows through your lawn. This could mean putting in French drains to redirect rainwater. If it’s your sprinklers, you need to have someone reposition them and recalibrate them to stop the overlap causing puddles.
It could also be your incoming water line or your outgoing sewer line. You’ll want to repair that fast before the problem gets worse.
Fertilizer and Soil
Just like overwatering, over-fertilizing can also be harmful to your lawn. Too much fertilizer will cause the grass to turn brown. Also, no matter how good your fertilizer is, your grass won’t grow properly if you have bad soil. Test your soil and get its PH. Add more rich soil when needed.
Prevent Patches
If you have dogs, you may feel tempted to dedicate a single area of the lawn for them to do their business. This is more harmful to your lawn than giving your dogs free range. Dog urine contains a lot of salt, and too much in one place will kill the grass. You also don’t want a single area to get torn up by constant dog traffic.
Don’t leave vehicles, equipment, or kids’ toys out on the lawn. If you’ve ever had a kiddie pool or a slip-n-slide in your backyard, you know what I mean. Leaving things out on the lawn causes the soil and grass to get smooshed down. Compacted soil makes it harder for the grass to grow.
Also, tree crews, plumbers and electricians, and construction crews often park vehicles on your lawn. Make sure they use construction mats to prevent the grass from getting torn up. You don’t want to pay for a home improvement with ruined grass.
Conclusion
Keeping your lawn lush and green is easier than you might think. Too much water and too much fertilizer can be just as harmful as dehydration or nutrient-poor soil. Our advice: give your lawn a little bit of help and then leave it be.
