Looking at any golf course proves that taking care of grass isn’t impossible. So why isn’t your lawn thriving?
With the right care and maintenance, patchy brown grass can be a thing of the past. Use these 5 grass growing tips to transform your lawn into a luscious, green oasis.
1. Plant the Right Type of Grass
Wait, there’s more than one type of grass?
Yes! And knowing this is the key to a luscious lawn.
Every type of grass has its own set of soil, sunlight, and water needs. Some thrive with full sunlight and minimal water, while others need shade and clay soil. Figure out your garden’s soil type and choose a grass that thrives with your garden’s conditions.
For sandy soils, choose grasses that form deep roots. This includes tall fescue, zoysia, Bermuda grass, bentgrass, or bahiagrass. For clay soils, choose tall fescue grass, Bermuda grass, zoysia, buffalo grass, or perennial ryegrass. If your garden has loamy soil, focus on the sunlight and climate when choosing the perfect type of grass.
2. Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn Annually
Proper aeration ensures air and oxygen can reach the roots of your grass. It also assists with drainage and distributes fertilizer evenly throughout the lawn. Use a spike roller, fork, or hollow tining machine to aerate your lawn once a year in either spring or fall.
Once you’ve aerated the soil, overseed your lawn by adding grass seeds. This helps fill in gaps, increase your lawn’s density, and enhance the color of your lawn.
3. Don’t Under- Or Overwater Your Lawn
Regular watering ensures your lawn has enough moisture to grow. It also helps to cool soil temperature and move fertilizer to the roots of your grass.
Gardens with clay soil need less frequent watering than those with sandy soils. The typical amount of water is 25mm a week, which you can adjust as needed. It is always better to give your lawn one deep watering as opposed to daily surface-level waterings.
Always water your lawn in the early morning. This minimizes evaporation and ensures the grass is dry before nightfall, which helps prevent diseases.
4. Use the Right Fertilizer
Fertilizing your lawn ensures the soil has enough nutrients to keep the grass healthy, green, and lush. Lawn fertilizers also help minimize pest issues and weeds.
Opt for a 5:1:5 (36) fertilizer during the growing season, and a 2:3:2 fertilizer for winter. These numbers indicate how many parts of nitrogen (5), phosphorus (1), and potassium (5) are in the mix. The (36) tells you what percentage of these chemicals the fertilizer contains.
Fertilize at least once every three months.
5. Mow Your Lawn Weekly
In the same way that frequent haircuts ensure healthy, fuller hair, regular mowing keeps your lawn healthy. Typically, cutting your grass once a week is sufficient. For fast-growing grass, you may need to trim it every 5 to 6 days.
Sharp blades are essential to prevent tearing and ripping the remaining grass. Put some research into the types of lawn mowers available before you buy one. Be sure to get a lawn mower that’s suitable for the type of grass you are growing.
Don’t make the mistake of cutting deeper than 2/3 of the grass’s height. Cutting off too much hurts your lawn by preventing adequate sunlight absorption and inhibiting deep root growth.
Use these height guidelines for different types of grass:
- Kikuyu grass: 4-6cm
- Cynodon and other fine grasses: 3-4cm
- Buffalo grass and other cool-season grasses: 5-7cm
If you don’t have time to mow your lawn weekly, or you constantly cut your grass too short, get the professionals to do it for you! Visit https://whenappearancematters.com/ for your lawn care needs.
Grass Growing Tips for a Picture-Perfect Lawn
Now that you know how to care for your grass, a golf-course lawn isn’t that far out of reach! With these grass growing tips, your lawn will be green and lush in no time.
Want to learn more about caring for your garden, home, and family? Check out the rest of our blog today.
