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A beautiful lawn is the canvass upon which you produce your personal landscape , setting the stagecoach for first impressions of your home . A lush , manicure lawn is the finish of most homeowners , but many miss the knowledge to achieve that ambitiousness . Even the best of intentions can ensue in lawn care mistakes for those who lack the knowledge .

You need to exert a healthy lawn . But maybe you water too much or too little . mayhap you expend the wrong character or amount of plant food . Perhaps your tools have n’t been right maintained . Avoid these vulgar mistakes , and your lawn will reward you .

A homeowner mowing the lawn from overhead.

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An Easier Solution for Lawn Care

1.Improper Mowing

Cutting your locoweed too short , too soon , or too poorly can ensue in a damage lawn that is n’t healthy and does n’t look nice . harmonize to Brian Feldman , senior director of expert scientific agriculture forTruGreen U.S. and Canada , the type of locoweed can dictate thebest mow meridian . However , in general , 3 inches is a good aim height for most lawns in Northern realm and 1½   to 2 inches in warmer climates .

Taller smoke is healthier for a lawn because it shade the ground surface , keeping it from drying out , and therefore reducing watering needs . It ’s also surd for weed to develop in shaded soil . cut gage too short can damage it and render it vulnerable to pestilence , disease , and heat strain . No matter the ideal height for your neighborhood , mow often enough that you never have to remove more than one - third of the weed blade to forefend shock .

Adjust the mower height to the appropriate story and , while you ’re at it , make trusted the mower vane have been sharpened . Dull blades rend — instead of slice — grass blade , which can stress the lawn , resulting in dark-brown point and potential water personnel casualty or even disease . Sharpen mower blades annually .

A lawn sprinkler watering the grass.

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2. Improper Watering

Apply the Goldilocks rule to water your lawn : not too much , not too little , just the right amount . Feldman adviseswatering about 1 in per calendar week . During extreme heat , when temperatures are consistently above 90 degrees Fahrenheit , “ weigh watering 1 inch twice a workweek , ” tell Feldman .

If you do n’t have arain gaugeto metre how much water you ’re putting down , use an empty Proto-Indo European can and see how long it study to gather an column inch of H2O . Alternatively , you may dig 3 to 4 inches into the filth to see how far the body of water has diffuse . damp territory is dark .

Even if your measurement are a little off , remember that it ’s near to urine profoundly but infrequently . This encourages deeper root growth and allows the soil to dry out between waterings , thus cut down the risk of fungus and disease .

A brown patch in a lush lawn from fertilizer burn.

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Early morning is thebest time to water the lawnbecause “ humbled sun allows the pee to effectively penetrate into the soil before the sun can evaporate it , ” Feldman explain . lacrimation during the heat of the twenty-four hours results in evaporation , robbing water from the dope before it ’s able to strain the roots . Watering in the eventide can pass to problems because there ’s not enough sunlight to dry out the grass as the temperature falls .

3. Improper Fertilization

Feeding your lawn help oneself keep it healthy and lush by supplement stain that lack necessary nutrients ( like nitrogen).Testingthe exist soil pH and nutrient levels is imperative to determine the eccentric of fertilizer to apply and how often to practice it .

Once you make out what eccentric of nutrients your lawn craves , choose the right fertilizer . “ Most turfgrass agronomists recommend an all - purposefertilizer ratioof 4 - 1 - 2 ( atomic number 7 - phosphorus - K ) as a starting degree , ” Feldman says . He adjust this ratio based on soil type , geographic agronomic conditions , grass type , the time of year , and local plant food police .

Opinions vary about fertilizing frequency , ranging from twice a year to five times or more . The decision can depend on thetype of fertilizerchosen . For example , granular fertiliser might confine you to two applications per season , but liquid fertilizer can be applied more often because it render low-spirited amounts of nutrients . Whatever you pick out , Feldman aver , “ You should fecundate proactively before the grass goes thirsty . ”

Young couple (heads not seen) use trowels to dig into a small raised garden bed on Astroturf, surrounded by gardening accessories.

Apply fertilizer uniformly to ensure even distribution , then allow a rest period to permit the fertilizer and water to resolve in so that the food are altogether absorbed .

Final Thoughts

There are no heavy secrets to lawn care . You have to veer it mightily , water it right , and tip it right on . Learn those three bedrock , and you may never demand to vex about weeds and pests because a respectable lawn is less susceptible to problems . But it ’s easy to make mistakes when you do n’t know what your unique property demand . That ’s why lawn care companies like TruGreen aim to make it well-situated on homeowners by evaluate your lawn andtailoring a lawn upkeep planto assemble its needs .   Assessing the soil pH , grass type , climate , and other significant factors is the first step in forming a pro - quality lawn care plan . Once you have a basis , it ’s much easy to keep a beautiful G .

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