If you own a home with a lawn, you probably care about the way it looks. Surveys show that a full 83% of all people in the United States say that it is important to have a lawn and more than 90% of the people who agree with that keeping lawns looking great is also important. If you are concerned about the look of your lawn, there are things you can do to keep it looking its best.
- Make sure you mow it on a regular basis. Mowing the lawn is one of the most basic things you should be doing in terms of lawn care. When you take your mowing seriously and do it correctly, you make it possible for your lawn to stay looking healthy and happy. Make a schedule for mowing your lawn and then make it a point to stick to it.
- Never scalp your lawn. Lawns hate being scalped and there are good reasons for that. The term “scalping” refers to the practice of cutting a lawn too short. The reasons people do this are varied, some think that they will have to mow their laws less often if they cut them shorter each time they mow. The problem is that grass that has been cut too short has less defenses against diseases that can hurt it and weeds that can push it out. When the lawn starts to get sparse from over mowing, seeds from weeds get more sunshine and are given more of a chance to kill your lawn.
- Use sharp mower blades. Have you ever cut your self with a razor, by accident? How about with a dull knife? If you have, you know how much more painful it is to be cut with a dull surface than a sharp one. When you apply the same principle to your lawn, you can see how much healthier and happier your lawn will be when you use sharp moving blades to mow your grass. Throughout the lawn mowing season, if you live in a place with seasons, you should make it a point to sharpen your blades between three and four times. If you mow all year round, you can talk to landscape designers about how often you should have your mower blades sharpened.
- Get the right height of grass. As the season goes on, you should change the blade height on your mower. In the later months of the summer, you are going to want to keep your grass longer so that you give more shade to the soil. If you live in a place where you do mow throughout all of the year, you should consult with the same landscaping designers to get the right height for your lawn.
- Leave your grass clippings where they fall. Many people think that they are doing their laws a big favor when they rake up the clippings from their laws. This is a big mistake. When you leave the grass clippings on your lawn, you do several good things for your grass. In the first place, those clippings will become quality, free and healthy food for the grass on your a lawn. It has been estimated that these clippings can amount to about one quarter of the nutrition your lawn needs. In the second place, think of all of the time you will save when you do not spend your days raking and bagging up clippings.
- Do what you can to reduce the stress on your grass. This may sound strange but when you prune a plant or mow your lawn, you cause them stress. You can limit the amount of stress they experience if you mow lawns when the sun is not high in the sky. This way it will lose less water and will have a quicker recovery time from the mowing experience.
People across the United States love tending to their outdoor spaces. The National Association of Landscape Professionals recently put out data showing that 75% of people around the nation think it is important to spend time in their gardens and lawns. People report that when they look at greenery, their stress level goes down. These tips can help keep your lawn looking really great.