Garden Tips & Resources

Archive for the ‘Lawn’ Category

If you’ve ever walked barefoot through a lush, thick, healthy green grass lawn, you’ve probably caught the bug. The bug that drives us all. Having a beautiful lawn full of deep soft grass is probably the dream of almost everyone. Most of us however, feel it’s too difficult to attain. In reality though, it’s fairly simple to do. You’ll need to give it time and attention of course, but it will be worth it in the end.

The first step to having a deep lush green lawn naturally is to prepare the soil for the best possible results. It’s a good idea to test the pH levels of your soil, and you can do this by getting a soil testing kit from your local nursery or garden center.

If your soil pH is not quite right, you’ll want to enrich it with some natural compost, or by adding some natural elements to it such as lime or sulphur. Ask your local garden center specialists which elements need to be added based on your soil test results, and they’re usually happy to help.

Once you have your soil balance properly, you may need to turn it over a few times to remove any extra weeds, fungus, or unwanted plant material. This step isn’t required but it can help quite a bit, particularly if you’re starting with a lawn which has a lot of weeds in it.

After clearing your lawn of weeds or turning it over completely, it’s time to spread new grass seed. Now you’ll want to select your new grass carefully. It should be hearty and strong enough to withstand the amount of traffic your family will create on it, but you should also know how much water it will take, and how well it will withstand weeds.

Some grass is more subjective to diseases and weed invasions while others will choke out the weeds and keep them at bay naturally. There are also grasses which will naturally look more brown or “dead” at certain times of the year, so if you want green grass year round you’ll need to know which kinds provide this look.

Before spreading your grass seed, spread a thick layer of organic compost across your lawn. You can simply spread this on top or mix it into the existing soil. At that point you simply need to spread the grass seed itself.

You may find it easiest to buy your grass seed in ready to lay straw mats. This allows you to simply lay the squares or ribbons of straw across your yard and apply water. The straw holds the seeds in place and protects them from being eaten by birds before they can germinate and take root.

You can also simply use a seed spreader to apply the seed to your lawn, or scatter it around by hand. Seed spreaders allow you to distribute the grass seed more evenly across your yard, but spreading by hand can be successful as long as you’re careful to spread the seed as evenly as you can.

Once you have the seed spread out, then you’ll want to put another thin layer of compost on top. This will prevent the wind from blowing away your lawn seed, and it will prevent the birds from being able to eat it all before it can grow.

Water your new lawn at least once a day for the first couple of weeks, but be sure to not over water and make the seeds run off into lower lying areas.

Whether you’re selling your home or not, one way to make it more valuable in both monetary and emotional ways is to improve the curb appeal. And improving the curb appeal can easily be done in a variety of ways.

One way of course is to have a beautiful lawn, colorful flower garden beds, and meticulously manicured bushes. No yard starts out this way though, so let’s look at some of the basic first steps, and small things that can make a big difference.

1. Clean up the outside of your home. This may seem obvious, but not everyone immediately realizes when they have too much clutter or debris around their yard. So get rid of junk, put away the tools out of site, clean the gutters, and sweep off your walkways.

2. Repair problem areas. If your home has a broken window or loose window screens, fix these as soon as possible. If the outside light is just a bare bulb then put a nice new cover or light fixture over it. This doesn’t have to be anything expensive or fancy, it just needs to have a well kept appearance. Look closely at any porch railings, rain gutters, or shutters if you have them too. If anything is loose or broken, fix it.

3. Tidy up the yard. Take a good look all around your yard. Are there any weeds growing? If so, trim them down or pull them out. If you have unruly bushes, trim them neatly. Use a weedeater and trim the edge of your grass along any walkways or roads so that all looks neat and tidy. If you have dead or dying plants, remove those too.

4. Take a good look at the house itself. A quick touch up of paint on the trim can make a world of difference and it doesn’t take too long. Alternatively you may find that you can simply wash or rinse down the outside of your home and it will look as good as new.

5. Take stock of your outdoor accessories. If you have lawn furniture, is it in good shape? Maybe it needs a fresh coat of paint or maybe you can simply put new cushions on instead. How about the mailbox? Is it a bit old and worn? Can you revitalize it with some decorating flair or should you replace it instead?

If you have a bird bath, garden gnomes, or little yard statues sitting around, look closely at those too. Chances are they could use a good scrubbing to look brand new again. While you’re at it, wash or replace your front doormat and hang some fresh flowers or a new wreath on the front door too.

6. If you have the budget, add something new. You can put some outdoor pathway lights along the walkway to your front door for instance, or sit some new flower pots on the front steps. You might also want to add new flowers to your flowerbeds, create a brand new flower bed, or simply plant some colorful annuals along the edge of your lawn.

Does your lawn tend to look thin in spots? Would you like it to be a lush green all year long? Then you should consider the practice of lawn improvement called overseeding.

Overseeding means that you plant more seeds than necessary to improve the density of your lawn. By planting more seed than is needed, more seeds will germinate than would otherwise have done and your turf can become much thicker. However, simply throwing some seed on top of your existing grass won’t do the trick. Do really make overseeding work, follow this advice:

Overseed at the right time
Choosing the right time means knowing when the type of grass you are seeding for will germinate best. If you’re overseeding using a cool season grass, do it in the autumn, which is the best growing time for cool season grasses. If you’re using grasses that flourish best in warm weather, overseed in the spring.   

Prepare the soil correctly
Rake away all dead, thatched grass and aerate the existing turf if your soil is clay. Testing your soil at this point is a great idea because then you will know exactly what amendments to make to improve soil nutrients and balance pH correctly.  Add organic compost or fertilizer if necessary.

Cut it short
Most garden experts advise against mowing grass very short as this can allow seeds to gain a foothold.  However, when you are overseeding, you’ll need to mow it quite short to make it easier for the added seed to germinate and begin to grow. The idea is to allow the new seeds as much contact with the soil as possible, and mowing the existing lawn very short helps this to happen.

Seed lavishly
Overseeding means exactly that—using a lot more seed than would normally be required. You should at least plant double the amount of seed you would plant if you were planting the seeds on soil unencumbered by existing turf.

Pamper your new grass
Don’t be deceived by the presence of existing turf grasses. Your new little grass sprouts need tender loving care to ensure they thrive and grow. They are every bit as delicate as a brand new lawn. Use protective mulch; apply good organic compost or fertilizer to enrich soil and support growth and water consistently and sufficiently.

Finally, until your overseeded lawn has reached the point in its growth at which it can stand up to human feet and animal paws, keep off the grass!