A beautiful lawn makes your whole garden look good. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to get a good looking lawn but needless to say, you need to do more than just mow the lawn.
Obviously, it is best to have a grass that suits your climate. Finding the best grass is easy but unfortunately, it may mean that you have to replace your current lawn. Spring and autumn are the best time to start a new lawn from scratch. You can use grass seeds or sods. Using seeds is cheaper but takes longer time and requires more work and skills. Using sods is faster and easier.
Grass is divided into two main types, cool-season and warm-season grass. Cool-season grasses go dormant in winter and have no problem surviving the cold but if the weather gets too hot, cool-season grass will go dormant. Warm-season grasses have trouble surviving winters but they have no problems with heat.
A healthy lawn needs to be mowed regularly. A mown lawn not only looks better but it is also healthier, by mowing the lawn regularly the grass will grow denser. Mowing also helps preventing weeds from taking over the lawn. If you want a good looking lawn, you need to water it as well. This can be tricky since you need to get the amount of water right. Too little water and your lawn will suffer but too much water is not good either. Too much water deprives the grass roots of the oxygen they need. It also destroys the soil structure and may cause runoff, taking fertilizer and soil with it.
It is best to water the lawn in the morning. Note that local regulations may prevent you from watering your lawn using a hose. Check the regulations in your area before you water your lawn, the fines can be heavy if you get it wrong. If the soil is baked hard, it is best to use a garden fork and prick the lawn before watering.
Most lawns need to be fed extra nutrients in order to look good. Just be aware that too much fertilizer creates problems. Generally, it is best to apply fertilizer in spring and autumn. If that is not enough, you try to apply fertilizer also in the summer.
What lawn care equipment do you need? A lawn mower is the most important device. String trimmers or edgers take care of spots that the lawn mower can’t reach. To apply fertilizers, seed and pesticides a simple push-type spreader is the best solution. A blower or a lawn sweeper is good for keeping your lawn clean. Of course, the good old rake is still very useful every now and then. Tools such as dethatchers and aerators may be necessary for some lawns but in most cases they are seldom needed.