Aiming for a beautiful healthy lawn needs a lot of effort and strategy. Any kind of lawn care could be possible as long as you are doing the right thing for your lawn’s good health. Here are 5 easy steps for your lawn care guide that will help you yield good results:

1. Mow efficiently – This does not only require cutting of your grass to its required height but also depends on mowing at the right time of the year. In mowing your lawn, it should not be less than one-third of its height for the efficient absorption of the sun. This should consume the right amount of light from the sun that is needed by the grass to develop a healthy plant. After mowing, your mowed grass should be left on the lawn to decompose as fertilizer that would be best for your lawn.

2. Use a sharp blade – It is important for your lawn to use sharp blade when cutting grass so it will not tear grass that would make your grass unhealthy easy to catch diseases and difficult to fight off pests. Few days after mowing, check on your grass very well especially the tip of it. If you can see brown lines on its tips, then you should make a move to get rid of those unhealthy signs.

3. Regulate water supply – The right irrigation system could help you prevent lawn problems especially the growth of pests on your lawn. Too much water would not do good for your lawn. On the average,grasses only need weekly water supply of 1-1.5 inches. that would just be enough for the clay to moistened, 4-6 inches below the surface and 8-10 inches for sandy soil. Rain Guage is the most advised in determining water supply during rain also to regulate the proper amount.

4. Keep fertilizers and pesticides at normal levels – Overfeeding your lawn with chemicals is very harmful. Be always prepared most especially during seasons of spring, summer, early fall & after the first fall be sure to provide it with balanced amount of fertilizer.. then on drought, you can skip summer feeding but not fall feeding.

5. Prevent, rather than cure – In Lawn care, you can also apply the statement that says prevention is better than cure. Regular feeding of your lawn could save its life from bugs and pests as well as diseases this could also help repair bare spots and you can use right herbicides to help you control and manage growth of weeds.

Maintaining proper care for your lawn is this easy but it also requires your proper attention for you to make things right in whatever strategy for the best of your lawn care.

Pointers that may help you solve any watering problems you might encounter:

- The best time to water your lawn is early morning or late at night when there’s no wind and when water pressure will be high.

- If you live in an arid climate where water shortages could occur, but you still want a lawn, consider planting more drought-tolerant grasses. If you live in a coll-season area, try tall fescue varieties. In a warm-season area, plant Bermuda grasses, St. Augustine or zosia grasses.

- If you have a water runoff problem due to heavy clay soil or dry subsoil, you can have the lawn aerated with an aerator that removes plugs of soil. but spiking soil is not recommended since the spikes are  compact the soil around the holes they drive.  Other solutions to runoff problems include slowing down the delivery rate of your sprinkler so the soil can absorb the water, or selecting a sprinkler that emits water more slowly. Another good solution is to run sprinkler at full rate until runoff starts, shut them off for a half hour so the soil can absorb the water then repeat the process.

- An observant turf gardener may be able to judge when lawn needs water by its appearance. Grass shows its need for water first by loss of resilience. When you walk accross it, the grass doesn’t spring back. Next, the color changes from fresh green and takes on a dull, gray green overcast. Then grass tops turn brown and die.  Once you can sense this timing, try to water just before the loss of resilience. Don’t let your lawn get to the brown stage, it will take considerable time to come back from the crowns.

Everybody is dreaming of a healthy and perfect lawn at home. Especially for those living in a cool season grasses rule. But, not every lawn needs a complete renovation. Maybe others just needed an extra care with tender loving. For cool season lawns & planting seed, early fall could be the best time to finish such a renovation then spring for a warm season grass and you can do laying new sod, plugs or sprigs, almost anytime during the growing season. Here are the six essential steps to follow:

1. Test the Soil – Investigating the soil is very important before removing your old lawn and that the soil has adequate nutrients and proper pH ideal for the grass to grow. Once you had undergo thorough test on the soil, you will exactly know what to do for a best possible place for your lawn to grow.

2. Remove the old lawn – these requires an average strength to help haul away the remains of the old loan.

3. Preparing the Site - Remove all rocks and expose all the roots. Large visible rocks must be dig up and tree roots be put down below soil level if it is a problem as well. With the sod removed and taken away from the site, rocks removed, holes filled, you’ll want to start adding the necessary amendments. You’ll probably want to add some sand (about 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet). To better condition the soil, add aged compost. This will add a lot of bio-mass to the soil (about 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet).

4. Tilling it in and Fertilizing - Turn the soil until there are no big clumps or patches of packed earth. with a rotary tiller and add lime, peat moss, or sulfur to balance the soil’s pH level. Spread peat moss with shovel, you can use pelletized lime or sulfur, to spread with a walk-behind spreader set to the appropriate calibration rate listed. And spread a starte fertilizer to the whole area using. Using a metal rake you can work on the fertilizer in one place. Finish grading the soil by raking it level. Pay attention to drainage slopes being careful not to alter the natural drainage pattern.

5. Spread the seed - Select a grass type that would fit in your area. With a simple hand sprinkler, apply the seed as evenly use a walk behind spreader.

6. Water regularly – When seed is sown, Don’t just spray your lawn with a hose nozzle.3 times a day to keep the soil evenly moist, but not soaked. Avoid over watering.Once the seed has sprouted, cut back watering to once a day (depending on local weather). It’s best to water in the morning.

- Turn on sprinklers or set timers to water between midnight and 8 a.m.

- Every few days but not everyday, water deeply and only when needed.

- If recent rainfall occur,cancel a scheduled watering.

- If a fertilizer has just been applied, only water the lawn lightly.

Watering prevents the grass from becoming dormant during summer’s high temperatures. Proper watering ensures a denser lawn and allows the turf to compete more effectively with weeds. A healthy lawn will also reduce pest problems.Watering should take place before intense sunlight causes too much water to be lost to evaporation. Watering in the early evenings will leave the lawn damp all night, and may increase the lawns susceptibility to fungus and molds. Deep watering encourages deep root growth. However, when fertilizer has just been applied it is better to water lightly to prevent the fertilizer from leaching past the root zone, where it will not be usefull to the grass.

Source: Local Motion

Eco-Friendly lawn care is one of the healthy ways to take care of your lawns. American lawns has generated a large amounts of “green waste”, waste water, require tons of herbicides, and would cost much money and time.

“According to the Audubon Society, the average American lawn generates almost 2 tons of clippings a year, and requires 2½-4 times more water than shrubs or trees. Homeowners use 50% more herbicides than they did 20 years ago, spend 40 hours per week mowing the lawn each year, and spend over $8 billion annually on lawn care products and equipment.”

Here are some more tips for a more Eco-friendly lawn care:

1. Instead of using a conventional gas-powered lawn mowers, use an electric or manual push mower to cut your grass to avoid air pollution and global warming.

“According to Sylvan Garden, “atypical 3.5 horsepower gas mower…can emit the same amount of VOCs—key precursors to smog—in an hour as a new car driven 340 miles. To top it off, lawn and garden equipment users inadvertently add to the problem by spilling 17 million gallons of fuel each year while refilling their outdoor power equipment. That’s more petroleum than spilled by the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska.”

2. In maintaining your yard, Use hand tools or electric-powered tools such as hedge trimmer or lawn edger. Don’t use gas-powered tools instead, Use good old fashioned push broom and rakes for yard clean up, instead of noise and air polluting leaf blowers. Don’t use the hose to wash down your driveway or sidewalk, as this is just a waste of water. On the coasts, the leaf and grass clippings end up in the gutter and go down the storm drains, out to the ocean.

3. Diversify your lawn by planting a mix of different grasses–that way, if one variety doesn’t do well or dies, you still have grass that can “take over” for the dead variety. But you can also use organic fertilizer for your lawn.

4. Avoid toxic chemical pesticides and herbicides According to PANNA (http://www.panna.org/campaigns/pesticideFreeLawns.html ) “Every year U.S. homeowners apply at least 90 million pounds of pesticides to their lawns and gardens…pesticides are applied more intensively for lawn care than for farming! One recent survey reported that when informed about the risks posed by lawn chemicals, nearly 70% of homeowners indicate a preference for non-toxic alternatives.

5. Conserve water. Instead of using sprinklers, water your lawn with a hose. This will avoid waste of water from runoff as well as avoid water spills from your sidewalks and driveways.

6. Conserve water. Water your lawn by hand with a hose instead of using timed sprinklers.Water at night to avoid evaporation of water before it has a chance to soak into the ground.

7. Save your grass clippings you can use them as mulch for your yars. It is anything that is put on top of the soil around your trees and shrubs to give nutrients back to the soil, grass clippings, tree bark, leaves and other yard called a “greeen waste” also a food waste from the kitchen ans even shredded newspapers. Mulch breaks down over time an adds up nutrients to the soil. Mulch also prevents soil erosion and hardpan (tough, dried-out topsoil). Make a compost pile and feed it your grass clippings.

8. Research plants that are native to your area and resistant to pests and drought, and replace some or all of your grass with these low-maintenance alternatives. I’ve let the shrubs in front of the house, on one side of the yard, grow down to the front sidewalk, eliminating about 24 square feet of lawn.

Try to follow these simple ideas for your lawn..lesser environmental impact, save money and you can have a healthy green lawn that you always long for.

1. AERATION- Loosening the soil so that water, air and nutrients reach the root zone quicker. Aeration enhances the effectiveness of the products applied to your lawn. By loosening the soil, items needed by the roots (air, water & nutrients), are more available. Therefore, when fertilizer is applied, it is used more effectively by the grass plants.

Core aeration is accomplished by running a machine over the lawn. The machine pulls up plugs of soil, about the size of your finger, and leaves them on the ground. It takes a couple of weeks for the plugs to break up and blend back into the lawn. Liquid aeration provides the same great results as core aeration but is much easier to do. It also is cheaper, and cleaner.

2. MOWING - In general, keep fescue, rye and bluegrass mowed at a minimum of three inches. Zoysia and bermuda grasses can be mowed shorter. Mowing at the proper height will strengthen the grass plant and inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds. As a matter fact, studies have shown that simply mowing at the correct height will eliminate crabgrass over time. The shorter the grass is cut, the shorter the roots will be. Mowing high causes the grass to shade the weeds, so they cannot grow. Mowing high also makes the grass stronger, as more grass is using the sun to make it grow. Always keep your mower blade SHARP! Sharpen the blade after 8-10 hours of use. Grass clippings are a good source of nitrogen for your lawn. It is recommended that you not bag your grass clippings. Let those clipping fall to the ground and breakdown, thus returning nutrients to the soil.

The frequency of mowing should be such that you cut 1/3 of the grass stem off each time. Removing more than 1/3 of the grass stem at a time will damage the plant. This means that you should mow your grass at or before it reaches 4-1/2 inches. During periods of drought it is advised that you mow even higher, at 4” or more. It also advised that you mow higher in areas that are heavily shaded.

3. PROPER WATERING - Proper watering encourages grass growth and deters weed growth. Watering too frequently will actually discourage grass growth, as the roots are not required to go deep to find their water source. Weed roots are much shorter than grass roots, so watering less frequently will cause the weed roots to die, while the longer grass roots will be seeking deeper water. The grass will tell you when to water, usually once a week. The grass blades will begin to curl when they need water. They will curl before they turn brown. Another way to tell is to walk across your grass and take a look where you walked.

If your footprints remain, the grass needs some water. If your footprints disappear, the grass is fine.
You should water all areas of your lawn with an inch of water. Simply set a cup in the watered area and keep an eye on the water level in the cup. When it reaches an inch, stop. To conserve water, water right after it rains. You will need to know how much rain fell, then “top it off” until you have an inch.

4. WEEDS & TRIMMING -Have you ever given any thought as to why weeds tend to grow next to the fence, or the driveway, or around the planted areas? The answer is probably that these are the areas you are using the trimmer in. If you are mowing your lawn at the proper height, usually 3 inches, chances are the middle of your lawn looks nice. The problem areas tend to be the edges of the lawn, where the trimmer is used.

Weeds love to be cut short, and it is difficult to maintain a consistently high cut when using a trimmer. Besides the fact that weeds thrive when cut short, they also thrive in these closely cut areas because the grass is cut too short to shade the growth of the weeds. So, take a little extra time when trimming to keep the trimmer up in the air, instead of letting it touch the ground.

5. SHADED AREAS -Shaded areas of your lawn are probably the most difficult area to have a healthy lawn in.

Below are suggestions for dealing with the shade.

- The amount of sunlight can be increased by trimming the lower branches, and thinning higher branches of trees.
- You can trim shrubs to allow more air movement. To further reduce stress on grass in shaded areas, you may choose to mow this area 1/2 to 1 inch higher.
- Increased fertilizer will also help.
- If you plan to seed a shady area, be sure to use seed which is shade tolerant.

6. SEED & SEEDING -Unless you have a specific preference for a particular variety of grass, I suggest you use a mix of grass seed. Using a mix will help you obtain a uniformly green lawn, as different varieties of grass green up at different times, and some do better in different areas of your lawn than others. So, using a mix, will keep the entire lawn looking nice. Using a mixture of fescue, bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass. The key to choosing seed is to make sure the seed is high quality and contains very few weed seeds. All seed bags have a label which will list the content varieties of the seed, and the percentage of weed seed included. To determine if you need to seed and how extensive the seeding needs to be, you will need to take a close look at your lawn. Basically, if you do not have much grass, you need to do extensive seeding and work the seed into the soil. If you have a pretty good stand of grass, you can simply sow the seed and leave it alone. If you are pleased with the thickness of your lawn, you can probably skip seeding, and only do it every other year.

“Weed control is more than making a pretty yard. Weeds compete with grasses for water and nutrients,” says Walheim. “A well-cared-for, vigorous lawn will resist weed invasions.”

Below are the five steps to keep your yard in top shape for weed resistance:

1. Mow high – Mow the upper end portion of the required height for the type of your grass encourages deeper roots and better heat as well as drought tolerance because the grass helps shade the soil to reduce evaporation and it maximize the soil moisture content. With this, the need for frequent water could be minimize. Mower should be set at 11/2 inches high for common Bermuda; 1 inch high for hybrid Bermuda; 3 inches high for tall fescue; 21/2 inches for Kentucky bluegrass; and 21/2 to 3 inches for St. Augustine.

2. Water properly – Water the soil thoroughly down to its depth of 6 – 8 inches to prevent shallow root system, It is important to wet the soil properly so they could absorb the water very well. To check for its thorough absorption of water, insert a rod or screwdriver into the soil; it will stop when it reaches dry dirt.

3. Fertilize at the right time of year - This is one of the most important step. This depends on the type of grass. Fall or spring for cool-season lawns and late spring and early summer for warm-season lawns. But be aware of the insects that might ruin your grass like grubs that eat grass roots.

4. Aerate and dethatch - Remove small cores of soil as it is necessary for better water and penetration of nutrients.

5. Kill weeds – Buy such product that would be best for your lawn and try to know what kind of weeds you have in your lawn so you could have the right protection for your lawn against weeds. And learn to follow instructions properly.

Source: Lawn Care