Recently bought a home and now you’re wondering what to do with your lawn?

Congratulations on your home! A home is a big investment and definitely worth it. It gives you a place to create new memories, freedom to use nails on the wall instead of command strips and hey, you don’t have to pay rent anymore. You know, just monthly mortgage payments from now on.

So a big question in your head now is probably, how do I take care of my lawn? Your dad says one thing but Google says another and you’re not really sure who to listen to at this point. Well, don’t worry we can help you out.

First things first, how does your lawn look? Do you have weeds coming in? Not as much grass as you were hoping to have? Do you have some bushy trees that look like they need a makeover?

Mowing – Right off the bat, you’ll need a good mower with sharp blades to give your lawn a clean look.  It’s important to not cut more than 1/3 of the grass. Cutting your grass too short can make your lawn more susceptible to drying out more easily, which increases the likelihood of more weeds. Since you won’t be mowing much off at a time, it is average to mow once a week. Try to mow your lawn at different angles/patterns to avoid spots wearing thin from repetitive traffic. Getting a trimmer will help get to those hard-to-reach places and give your edges a clean finished look. Try to keep the height about 3”, which is about the width of a Starbucks disposable cup.

Watering – Proper watering can be the trickiest part to master. The short story is you want to water deeply and infrequently. Under most conditions, you shouldn’t water more than twice a week, and SOAK your lawn when you do. Grass in shaded conditions don’t need as much water as the grass out in the sun all day or on slopes. More water does not mean better. Watering too frequently can cause shallow roots and fungal diseases if your lawn isn’t allowed to ever dry out from a watering. If your grass squishes a few hours after watering, that’s a sign that you’re being a little too generous with your watering. Most lawns need 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week to soak the soil that deeply – whether it’s from rain or watering. It’s important to take the earlier factors into consideration when watering to determine if your lawn needs less or more.

Fertilizing – A lawn that is pale yellow is likely experiencing chlorosis, or a lack of nitrogen. In other words, your lawn is hungry and needs some food. When applying fertilizer, make sure to thoroughly read the instructions to avoid fertilizer burn – excessive overfeeding can damage or kill your lawn. Usually lawns only need fertilizer 2-3 times per year – Best around Memorial Day and Labor Day to keep it simple.

Aeration – Aerating is best when done in the growing season. It can be done in early spring or in the fall to be ready for the following year. Aeration creates holes to uncompact the soil so there’s proper circulation of air, water, and nutrients to reach the grassroots.

If you have less grass than you would like and are thinking of laying some seed or even sod down, combining overseeding along with the aeration is perfect. The holes created allow the seed to germinate well in the soil and grow best.

Trimming/Pruning – The trees and shrubs at your home may have grown a little out of control in the meantime of you buying and officially moving in. (Settling in can sometimes be a lengthier process than we’d all like.) Your first instinct may be to get a chainsaw and start sawing away but please don’t. Depending on what type of tree or shrub you have, it may be best to wait to tidy it up. It’s important based on the type of tree and what health it’s in to know when and how you should prune it.

The hard part to understand is that not all trees are the same, and we have to prune at the pace the tree wants us to. You can’t make a tree look good in just one season and the same goes for shrubs.

If you have any questions and are wanting to get a service done through us at All Terrain, give us a call or send us a message to get signed up.