How to Take Proper Care of Your Lawn: All You Need To Know

Set your mower at the highest possible setting – this way, you’ll only cut 1/3 of the grass blades, which is good for the root system. The lawn needs to be dry when you’re mowing it, and try to do the mowing in the early evening – it will give the grass time to recover until the next hot day. The mowing patterns need to vary, which will prevent ruts in the grass.

And lastly – do the mowing when it’s needed, not according to your own schedule – grass needs to be mowed twice a week in spring, and when the growth is slower you can even mow it once in two weeks and your yard will always look neat and ready for family gathering.

If you decide to fertilize the lawn, it's best to do it in the fall because grass grows much more slower than in cold weather, but the grassroots don't slowdown, which is a perfect combination. That's when the fertilizer will provide essential nutrients which will be kept until the spring for a healthy awakening.

So, in the mid or late fall, use a dry fertilizer all over the lawn and make sure you don't miss a spot. For optimum results, you should use a walk-behind spreader, as the coverage is best that way. It will probably take you longer, but it will be worth it.

It’s easier to use a weeder than hands for a regular weeding, but if there's too much weed already, it's better to use a selective herbicide that will work only on weeds, not the grass, preferably a persistent one (it prevents regrowth of weeds).

It’s best to use a product specifically designed for lawns, which will get rid of clover, dandelion and crabgrass – applying it will usually have to be in late spring or late summer.

Thatch is a pile of plant material located between the green top and the grass root and, if not dealt with, it can cause grass to wither and make room for weeds. If you notice a layer of thatch, don’t let it grow bigger – use a thatching rake, raking in only one direction.

The lawn won’t look attractive for at least a month, but the good thing is that you’ll have to repeat the process every two or three years.

The process of aerating means perforating the soil so that water, air and valuable nutrients can make its way to grass roots. If the soil has too many solid particles, the roots won’t get what they need to stay healthy, so here’s how you aerate the lawn: water the lawn one day before, and make several passes over problematic areas with the aeration machine. Next, allow the excavated plugs to dry and then use a lawn mower to break them up.

Don't wait until all the leaves from the trees have fallen off until you start raking, no matter how much the job must bore you. Leaves get wet from the rain and watering, stick together and form a mat that suffocates the grass, causing fungal disease.

You can use a lawnmower equipped with a collection bag or a vacuum system if you want to avoid raking. It's particularly effective in case of a big yard with deciduous trees all around.

To promote the roots’ growth, the lawn should be watered deeply (1 inch of water), but not too frequently (usually once a week). A tuna can put on the lawn can help you determine how much water you have applied - stop watering when the can is full.

During periods of drought and heat, the lawn should be watered more frequently, but otherwise, too much water can cause lack of oxygen in the soil and attract disease.

The watering method depends only on your preference - you can install sprinklers around the lawn, but if you want to economize or you simply enjoy watering your lawn, opt for the good old water hose of any type.

The fall is an excellent time to lessen the bare spots on the lawn. The easiest way to do this is with using an all-in-one lawn repair mixture. You can buy it at most home centers, as well as at garden shops - it is a mixture of grass seeds and organic mulch. Scratch the soil at every bald spot and apply a thick layer of the mixture. Next, compact the mixture lightly and water it abundantly. For the next two weeks, water the lawn every two days.

Lastly, there are some things that don't take up too much of your time but can also be important:

Keeping a neat lawn is sometimes hard work, but it definitely pays off. If you make a habit out of things you have to do once a week, you soon won't think of it as boring activities, but activities that help you have your perfect lawn.