You want a green, healthy lawn. Not only does it look better, healthy lawns are also easier to maintain. Yet, many homeowners unwittingly do things that compromise the health of their lawn. Make sure you don't fall into the same trap by reading through these things that can compromise the health of your lawn.
#1: Mowing too short
Cutting the grass too low causes it to burn because there is not enough leaf surface area to shade the soil or to properly photosynthesize nutrients. As a general rule, cut the grass no lower than 3 to 3.5 inches in length.
#2: Mowing in the same direction
Always mowing in the same direction causes thin areas or ruts where the lawnmower wheels always pass over. It can also cause the grass to lean in one direction, creating thin spots. Change up the mowing pattern each time you mow to avoid this problem.
#3: Shallow watering
It's common for homeowners to set their sprinklers to go off for a few minutes every day, but this weakens the grass so that it browns during the first prolonged dry period. Instead, water only two or three times a week but for a larger chunk of time. You want to apply at least 1 inch of water each time you irrigate, which is enough to moisten the top 6 inches of soil. This results in a deeper, more resilient root system.
#4: Shading out the lawn
Trees and canopies are a great way to provide shade, but make sure your lawn can handle it. Avoid planting or erecting anything that results in heavy shade unless you have a grass type that thrives in cooler, partially shaded conditions. Otherwise, the grass will start to thin.
#5: Compacting the soil
This can be hard to avoid since you want to be able to run, relax, and play in your lawn. You can combat compaction by aerating the lawn every year. A core aerator removed plugs of soil, which helps loosed the ground so that oxygen, moisture, and nutrients can better reach the roots.
#6: Smothering the roots
Thatch is a layer of dead plant material that sometimes builds up on top the soil. It creates a mat that doesn't allow moisture penetration. If the thatch layer is more than ½ inch thick, you need to have the yard dethatched so the grass can thrive.
For more help, contact a lawn care service like A Greener Season Landscaping in your area.
