Either way, you have motiviation enough to make your lawn the standout of the neighborhood. Follow these tips to make your lawn green and your neighbors green with envy.
MOW LIKE THE PROS
Take in a baseball game or a golf tournament and you will be impressed with the beautiful checker-board and diagonal patterns that are mowed into the turf. If that is the look you want, then you must vary your mowing pattern just like the pros do. Not surprisingly, most people mow the fastest and simplest way; back and forth in the same direction each and every time. Do this and in time, tire tracks from your mower will show in the turf and they will be tough to get rid of.
Instead of repeating the same pattern, try mowing back and forth eas/west one week, mow back and forth north/south the next week. Or, try mowing at an angle. Not only will you achieve that checkerboard look afer a few weeks, but you will minimize tire marks and ruts. Use Poulan Self-Propelled Lawn Mower (Ace no. 7227374).
Before you get too creative, don't forget about the basics of mowing:
- Use a sharp blade
- Mow only dry grass
- Set your mower to the optimal height for your lawn
- Let grass grow three or four inches in height before mowing
- Don'g bag your grass clippings; leave them where they fall so they can return nutrients to your lawn.
GET AN EDGE ON THE NEIGHBORS
Professionals leave their lawns wieh a crisp, clean edge around landscape beds, sidewalks and driveways. That kind of edging requires a professional edger. Choose from gas-, electric-or propane-powered edgers. All will do the job. It's purely a matter of personal preference and which style is easier for you to handle. Use Grass Hog Electric Edger (Ace no. 7099013).
AEREATE TO LOOK GREAT
Aerating your lawn involves removing small soil plugs from the lawn, which increases the amount of water, nutrients and oxygen that reaches the soil. Lawns that become compacted due to heavy use from play, sports activities and pets can benefit from aeration.
See if you need to aerate by removing a square foot section of lawn at least six inches deep. If grass roots extend only into the first one to two inches, you could benefit from aeration. Use Lewis Lawn Aerator (Ace no. 70491).
DE-THATCH YOUR PATCH
Thatch is that thick build-up of dead grass and roots that sits above the soil amount healthy grass. If it is more than an inch thick, it is time to de-thatch your lawn. De-thatch by pulling out all of the old, dead grass with a good, stiff-tined garden rake or de-thatching rake. Be careful that you don't pull up the healthy grass.
Expect your lawn to look a big worse after de-thatching, since you've removed a lot of what made your lawn look thick. However, in a short time, expect to see healthy new blades of grass emerge. Use True Temper Thatch Rake (Ace No. 70081).
BANISH BURNS
Those annoying brown patches of lawn caused by dog urine are almost impossible to get rid of easily. The problem lies in the chemical blance of dog urine, which burns out the grass. There are products available to patch up the brown spots in your lawn caused by your dog but you can do one better and just prevent them in the first place.
Water alone is the best way to help minimize the damage to your lawn from dog urine. Water dilutes the concentration of nitrogen in the grass and can be delivered by a good rain or a sprinkler. Adding a little baking soda to the water will further help neutralize the grass in your dog's favorite stomping grounds. Use Duraco Sprinkling Can (Ace no. 7206071).
Water, Water Everywhere
Maintain a green lawn with proper watering. The best time of day to water is early in the day, when lawns are wet from dew. If you water mid-day, the water will evaporate in the hot sun. If you water in the early evening, there's a greater chance for diseases because the grass stays wet longer, when gives diseases more time to take hold.
A typical lawn needs approximately 1 inch of water a week, including rainfall, to maintain its green color and growth. How do you know when you've done the right amount of watering? That's what's nice about water gauges. At a glance, you can tell how much water has gone on your lawn - either from your sprinkler or rain. Sometimes sprinklers don't put water down equally. To make sure water is going where it's supposed to, place a few empty soup cans around your lawn, and run your sprinkler for about 20 minutes. If water collects evenly in the cans, you know your sprinkler is doing its job.
You can water carefully and properly, but if the water isn't absorbed, your efforts are wasted. The only way to tell for sure whether the water is soaking in is by testing. Stick an 8-inch screwdriver into the ground after watering. If it goes in 6 inches, you've watered well.
Where the Grass is Greener
Nothing works better to bring the neighborhood together like some healthy competition. Challenge your neighbors to see who can create the greenest, best manicured lawn. Celebrate your victory with an outdoor barbeque with family and friends.