Grass is one of the few lawn plants that need constant care and attention, particularly this time of year when the weather’s warm and the sun beats down. Here’s a handy dandy checklist to follow each week to ensure your yard stays lush and green all the way through the fall…
Mow Like You Mean It
Weekly mowings are the best thing you can do for your yard. Many homeowners (upwards of 26%) choose to hire a lawn care company to do their mowing for them, but if you do choose to mow yourself invest in a riding lawnmower. Be sure to set your blades on the highest setting – the taller you leave your grass the healthier it’ll be.
Water Weekly
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you need to water your lawn at least once a week to keep it nourished. When the temperature reaches about 85 degrees and stays there, your yard needs at least 1 hour of constant water or rain a week to stay alive.
Weed Religiously
It’s a good idea to apply an organic weed control product once a month or so (or hire a lawn care company to do your application for you.) It’s also smart to stay on top of visible weeds by actively pulling them to stunt their growth.
Keep Your Edges Clear
Edging is an underutilized skill.The more you maintain your yard’s edges the better off it will be – purchasing an edger isn’t cheap and it may take you a while to get the hand of it. If you hire out your mowing you can add edging services, too.
Things you DON’T need to do weekly…
-Stop fertilizing so much. Once or twice a year is plenty of fertilizing for a healthy lawn. Choose something with high nitrogen content.
– Aerate only once a year. Spring is the perfect time for aeration and it’s relatively easy to do on your own, but it’s cheap to hire the process out, too.
– Apply lime once a year if you live in the Midwest. Acid rain is a problem in some parts of the US and a lime application can help keep your yard clean.
– Test for grubs. Grubs can be detected easily underneath the soil and they’re relatively easy to kill. Lawn care companies can provide pesticide application for a fee once or twice a year if needed.