Maintaining a Healthy Lawn This Spring and Summer

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Category: Home, Decor, Gardens

Published on Wednesday, 18 March 2020 16:13

Written by Mallory Knee

Spring is coming, and thoughts turn to lush, green, lawns. Many communities now restrict the use of herbicides and pesticides, so maintaining a healthy lawn takes time, work and know-how. Consider these pointers for your healthy lawn.

As maintaining a healthy lawn in the spring and summer becomes more challenging – the good news is, the best defense against weeds is a robust lawn. Whether you care for your lawn yourself or hire a landscaping service, achieving a healthy lawn takes a lot of work.

Weed and De-thatch

Dig weeds out, roots and all, as early in the spring as possible. When your lawn grows longer it will naturally discourage more weeds from establishing themselves in the lawn.   Thatch is the brown, tangled build-up of dead material at the base of the grass.

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Some thatch is actually helpful – it conserves water by discouraging evaporation. But a build-up of thatch (more than about a quarter to half an inch) will prevent sufficient air and water from nourishing the soil. Rake out the thatch, or if it has taken over large patches of your lawn, rent a de-thatching machine to deal with it.

Aerate

If you’ve ever seen lots of plugs of soil evenly disbursed across a lawn, someone has been taking good care of that lawn by aerating it. Aerating helps correct compacted soil by creating holes where water and nutrients can get down into it to revitalize it. Rent an aerating machine or tool and roll it across your entire lawn each spring and fall.

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Seed Bare Spots

If your lawn is looking patchy, scatter seed on the bare spots. Select seed that is appropriate for your climate and zone, and for the amount of sunlight your lawn receives. Once it sprouts, let it grow to several inches before you trim it.

Water and Control Runoff

Occasional deep watering is better for your lawn than frequent, light watering. Maintaining a healthy lawn also requires paying attention to what happens on your lawn during and after heavy rain. If you notice puddles or other very soggy spots, you may have a drainage or an erosion problem.

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Runoff means your soil and lawn aren’t robust enough to absorb the water. Standing water on your lawn suggests a multi-pronged approach may be in order, including a drainage system, soil amendments and a robust breed of grass to hang on to the soil and absorb the water.

Keep it Taller

Unlike beardless faces, lawns don’t need a close shave. Your lawn will be healthier, and crowd out weeds better, if you let it grow a little longer. Set your mower to a loftier height and keep your grass at least 2.5 to 3 inches tall. Spring is a good time to get your mower blades sharpened, also. This is one way lawns are like clean-shaven faces - a clean cut is better for grass (and facial skin!) than a ragged scrape.

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Keeping the grass beautiful is hard work, but it pays off in a lovely, lush green lawn for your yard.