10 Lawn Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Yard Healthy

Lawn maintenance is a tiring but necessary task that you should keep track of. Allowing your lawn to become unhealthy can be costly, and could lead to a complete overhaul of the entire thing. Remember that there are many factors that you need to consider for your lawn maintenance, such as soil nutrients, sun, and water.

You also need to know what type of lawn you have to care for it in the most appropriate manner. If your lawn is looking unhealthy due to poor maintenance, here are some tips to keep your yard healthy:

Identify the Problem

To start taking care of your lawn, you need to analyze what’s making it unhappy. Check for weeds, thatch, and moss. These items prevent air and nutrients from passing through them to get to the roots. They grow everywhere and can be present for many reasons, from birds flying over the grass to other animals that visit your lawn. 

Weed Out Your Lawn

Lawn weeds can start to grow by either seed heads or from flowers. There is a wide variety of weeds that are common in lawns. You can pull the weeds out by hand or use a garden tool to remove them from your lawn. But if there are too many weeds to take out, you can spray the weeds with a low toxicity herbicide.

You can easily control the growth and spread of lawn weeds. To fix this problem, you can apply a granular lawn feed and weed killer treatment or use a liquid lawn killer. You can also control smaller leaves with this application without damaging the grass.

Remove the Thatch

Thatches are organic matter that develop between the soil and leaves made up of dead root stems, grass, and leaves. It builds an obstruction that prevents essential nutrients and moisture from going through the ground to reach the roots.

You can quickly identify these areas when you feel something spongy, and you will see dead patches caused by the lack of nutrients. To remove thatch, you must know the scarification process or the proper ways of cleaning your garden. Use a rake and remove mulch from your lawn.

Treat the Moss

Moss thrives in portions of your lawn that have excess moisture, low-quality turf, and shade. Its level continuously increases when you do not discover and treat it. You should be aware of the factors that help develop moss, such as clay within the soil, high quantities of thatch, drought, shade, and poor drainage. To remove moss, identify the cause and treat it with scarifying and feeding.

Fix the Drainage

If your lawn frequently ​​​​floods when it rains, you might have poor drainage. You need to fix or improve your drainage system in your yard to avoid more significant problems. 

When your soil cannot absorb water, there is a chance that it has high levels of clay, vast areas of thatch, multiple layers of roots, and soil compaction. You can fix this problem through aeration, to improve the flow of air and water. This process can help decrease build ups on the surface of the soil. You may also consider growing suitable plants that are right for your soil type, or you can adjust the nature of your soil with organic materials.

Your lawn should have a slope that can naturally put away the water by letting it flow towards the drain. Look for any dips that collect water and damage your grass. You can patch it up and level it with a proper slope. If you have a rainwater collection system, check to see if it works by draining most of the excess rainfall away from your garden.

Aerate Your Lawn

Aeration is a solution for waterlogging and drought problems in your lawn. This process improves the flow of water and air towards the root area of the grass, and initiates nutrients to grow more. 

You can perform aeration by making small holes on your soil's surface with intervals of depths by using a garden fork. There are also available tools, aeration shoes, and machines specially made for this process.

Practice Over-Seeding

Over-seeding helps bring life back into your lawn by spreading large amounts of seeds mixed with fertilizer. This process will help fill in damaged and thinning spots, reducing the growth of unwanted weed and moss.

Edging and Mowing

Experts say that you should only remove one-third of the grass’s length when mowing your lawn. You should also know how much grass grows as the weather changes. Cold season usually reduces the grass’s growth, while it becomes more frequent during the summer.

Proper Watering and Feeding

Grass feeds and fertilizers are commonly available in most garden shops. You should know which are compatible with your lawn and follow the product’s guidelines for the best results. You may treat your lawn with nitrogen-rich lawn feed in the first half of the year, followed by a fertilizer with high potash and phosphate levels at the end of the year. 

Watering your lawn is essential to keep it properly hydrated. A healthy lawn will prevent the change of color and loose spring of the grass. Make sure to assess your type of soil and weather conditions before watering. It’s not good to overwater your grass. 

Top Dressing

Top dressing improves the health and quality of your soil by giving proper drainage and drought resistance. You need to check your garden's type of soil to perform appropriate maintenance by using the correct consistency and materials in processing your top dressing.

These tips will help you do a proper job of maintaining your lawn’s good health. You can now identify the reasons for your lawn’s problems and implement the proper solution for it, or you may check out professional lawn maintenance services such as lawn.com.au gardening for more professional advice and garden needs. You will surely appreciate your lawn looking lush and healthy.