Lawn Care Tips

During summer season the lawn is visited frequently; which also creates more wear and tear. Children’s courtyard games, small parties, outdoor games mean more activities in the lawn; which may spoil the beauty of garden. To protect loveliness of lawn and maintain beauty of the garden, here are given some tips.

Lawn Care Tips

Adequate and Timely Watering

In dry region and hot climates, regular watering is needed. During summer season regular watering is required.
The best time for watering lawn is early in the morning and after noon to achieve the best result.
Evening watering increases the risk of lawn diseases as the grass is socking the water during the night.
Avoid watering in mid of the day when the sun is hottest because evaporation increases; which leads to wastage of water.
Always prefer water sprinkling.
Excess water is also harmful to the lawn.
Care should be taken that whole of the lawn is watered and even a smallest portion is not left dry.

Good Quality Fertilizer

For good growth of shrubs, plants and grass, good quality fertilizer should be used according to the nature of soil.
The soil of lawn should be tested and according to soil test report the fertilizer which gives best results should be used.
In some cases different quality fertilizers give better results for different types of plants.
To obtain best results the fertilizer should be applied 3 to 4 times in the lawn.
The first application of fertilizer should be given a few days before growing season to have good start of growing the grass.
After that 3 to 4 times application of fertilizers should be done with a gap of 2 months between applications of fertilizer.
Fertilizers could be spread by hand or with the help of tools, called fertilizer spreader.
The drop spreaders are also used for small area where as rotary or broad care spreader can be used for bigger area.
Follow the guidelines from manufacturer of fertilizer which is very important.
Excessive use of fertilizers is not good; it can cause fungus, over growth and weakness.
The water should be given in the lawn after the use of fertilizer.
In some cases if fertilizer is applied and watering is not done, there is a chance of burning the grass or plants.

Lawn Mowing

Remember that lawn should be mowed not scalped.
Blades of lawn mower should be sharp and cut the grass. If blades are not sharp, they rip the grass.
Blades of lawn mower should not be set at low level as they cut the grass at lower level.
To cut the grass too low on regular basis spoil the lawn. Never cut the grass when it is wet.
If the grass becomes over grown, it should be cut with grass mower by 2 -3 times rather than cut it down to required length straight way.
Grass collector should be fixed on grass mower to avoid grass clipping in the lawn.
Grass at the edge of lawn can be cut by a long handle shears.
Strummers are a simple solution to cutting obstacles such as trees and unmovable garden structure.

Lawn mowing

( Lawn Mowing)

(This picture is contributed by "Deepak")

Aerating Lawn

Aeration of lawn is important as it allows water, oxygen and fertilizer to penetrate easily through the roots and to improve drainage.

Grass grows better when it’s able to easily breathe, get food and water.
When the garden is used regularly, the soil is compacted which reduces the drainage and roots can not go deeper into the soil.
The soil should be broken for lawn aeration which can be achieved with the help of simple garden fork. To do the job, just drive the fork into the earth at regular intervals.
For larger garden area or for more effective aeration, aeration tools having spiked or bladed rollers can be used. It is either hand drawn or motorized.
The application of aeration should be done in autumn season.

Scarification:

Scarifying or raking the lawn by removing dead and decayed matter is very essential. These dead and decayed matters are hindrance in the way of water and nutrient to the roots of plants/grass. Here are useful points about scarification.

Scarification or raking improves drainage and enable more amount of water and air to the roots.
The season for scarification is spring and autumn.
Rake the lawn and remove thatch, dead and decayed organic matter, leaves and old grass around base of stems.
This reduces the chances of lawn diseases.
Scarification can be done either by hand or by machine.

lawn raking

(Lawn Raking)

(This picture is contributed by "Deepak")

Removing Worm Cast

Most of the gardeners consider worm are good for lawn, as they help in aerating the soil and in dragging organic matter from the surface of soil, making the soil richer for better growing environment. Removal of worm casts is easy during dry weather; just wait till they are dry and rack them away. The use of acidic fertilizers may stop worms’ coming to the surface.