Lawn Care Maintenance; Make Your Neighbours Green with Envy

Routine lawn care maintenance will keep your lawn lush and green, enhancing the neighbourhood in which you live, and save time, as well.

Busy homeowners don’t have the time or energy to spend every spare second on lawn care and landscaping related tasks in order to keep the grounds around their home in tip-top shape. Fortunately, that isn’t necessary.

The key to keeping a perfect lawn lies in consistent routine care. Stretched out over a long period of time; a little here, a little there, throughout the year. Providing upkeep as a preventative measure; before – not after – problems arise.

Thorough Watering

One of the most important aspects of proper lawn care is thorough watering on a weekly basis. Time allotted to watering will depend on several factors; climate zone, time of year, soil type and quality, type of grass (whether native grass or an imported variety), amount of direct day sun grass area verses shade, size of area being watered, etc.

Indications that an existing lawn care problem is the result of not enough watering include:

• Slow grass growth
• A bluish tint
• Lack of resiliency (footsteps remain visible when grass is walked on.

Proper Lawn Care Fertilizer

Fall and spring applications of fertilizer will help ensure your lawn stays healthy and strong. Slow release fertilizer is best; an increasing number of homeowners prefer organic lawn fertilizer. Follow package directions carefully. Count on about 4-pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 feet of lawn.

Weeds and Lawn Care

One lawn care tip worth heeding is to treat pest and weed problems as soon as it becomes apparent you have one. Don’t wait for things to get out of hand.

Address weeds while still easy to pull; before roots have a chance to get hard and grow deep into the ground. Make sure and get all the root out, or a “new” weed will soon appear.

If you elect to use a commercially prepared solution to rid your lawn of weeds, make weed product selection carefully. Some are infamous for destroying not only weeds – but killing grass in the surrounding area, as well. Leaving unsightly dead-grass spots on your lawn.

Even out the Lawn

An even lawn looks better and is quicker and easier to mow. Spread top soil on the grass in low places in ¼-inch increments at a time. When grass begins to show through, repeat until the area is even.

Humps in the lawn can be eliminated by using a sod cutter to remove wedges of sod, up to 6-inches deep. Seed, and soak with water. Repeat spring and fall until the hump is gone.

Other great lawn care maintenance tips include:

• Reseed bare spots early fall or in the spring. First rake away debris, and then loosen top soil. Add humus and fertilizer; rake again. Spread grass seed and pat down. Keep moist until seed begins to sprout.
• Research the best height to mow according to the type of grass growing in your yard. Blue grass, for instance, usually does better at a height of 2-inches; Bermuda at 1-inch. Grass on lawns that are shaded can be cut higher.
• Mulching around tree bases will help protect the bark on trees from possible damage caused my mowing too closely, and will also decrease mowing time.

Lawn Mowing

Speaking of mowing, this is another important aspect of proper lawn care. Use a mower with an adjustable blade height feature, and keep blades sharp. Dull blades will injure grass tops and can turn them brown. A good rule of thumb is to sharpen blades monthly, or after use if blades have hit hard objects such as sticks or rocks while mowing.

Another great lawn mowing tip is to mow often enough so that clippings can stay on the lawn without marring its appearance. Leaving the clippings on the lawn, instead of using a catcher bag on the mower, adds soil nutrients and humus to the lawn – improving its health.

A good lawn care schedule to follow in regards to mowing would be about every 5 days during the wet season; every 12 to 14 days during dry. If you haven’t the time, rely on lawn mowing services, instead. Many companies offer discounted lawn mowing prices when their services are contracted on a long term basis.

One great resource for locating reliable lawn mowing services and other lawn care maintenance professionals in your area is through HandyCanadian.com. Membership and posting your project online is free – without obligation.

Our user-friendly tools make posting fast and easy; start receiving competitive bids for lawn care services within days, or even hours.

Enjoy a better looking plush carpet of grass that will make your neighbours green with envy. Click here to post your project online now!

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