Simple Steps to Create a Safe, Beautiful Lawn
Test Your Soil
A healthy lawn begins with the soil. The results of a soil test will give you a good place to start in determining your lawn's needs. Amendments and natural fertilizers may be needed to create a healthy, balanced soil; on the other hand, a soil test may advise that you not waste money applying products that your lawn doesn't need. We can obtain the sa
mple for you and complete the necessary steps to receive the results from the soil lab.
Mow High and With a Sharp Blade
Contrary to what your neighbors may think, it is not best to mow your lawn short. In fact, most professionals recommend leaving between 2.5 to 3.5 inches of grass blade behind. There are many reasons for this. Longer blades of grass encourage deeper root growth, thereby making your lawn more drought-tolerant. Also, the longer grass shades and cools the soil and reduces water evaporation. You are also advised not to remove more than a third of the grass blade at each mowing.
It is also important to maintain sharp mower blades, as dull blades tear the grass and make it more susceptible to disease.
Let Your Grass Clippings Fall
This may be the easiest and best advice for all homeowners to achieving a thick, healthy lawn. Grass clippings are full of nitrogen, which is essential to creating rich, green grass. William Dest, Ph.D., at the University of Connecticut, compared lawns where grass clippings had been left behind with lawns where the clippings had been removed. He discovered that the lawns with the clippings had:
45% less crabgrass
Up to 66% less disease
Up to 45% more earthworms (essential to a healthy, balanced soil system)
60% more water reaching the roots of the grass plants
25% greater root mass (which helps to crowd out weeds and increase drought tolerance)
50% reduction in the need for nitrogen fertilizer
Sending grass clippings and other yard waste to the landfill is detrimental to the environment, which explains why there is a state law prohibiting it! Grass clippings DO NOT contribute to excessive thatch in your lawn; they decompose very quickly an
d only benefit your grass, so save yourself the time and effort of removing them!
Water Wisely
While water is obviously essential to your lawn, improper watering can be damaging. It is important to water in the early morning hours, preferably before 9 a.m., so that the grass and the soil are able to dry off during the day. Watering in the heat of the day is wasteful, as much of the water evaporates before it is of use to the grass. Watering in the evening may promote fungal diseases because the water may not be able to be absorbed quickly enough by the grass plants.
In general, lawns require about an inch of water per week. Water deeply and less often to encourage the roots to grow downward and become more tolerant to drought and disease. Utilize a rain gauge and factor in the rainfall each week when determining the amount of water needed.
Call Gordon's Cutting Edge!
Contact us for a free evaluation of your lawn;
we'll help you create a beautiful lawn, naturally.
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