• Garden Maintenance

Basic Lawncare Knowledge

• By Timothy Eisden

Great lawn maintenance can be a tough job, but there are a few simple things you can do on a regular basis to avoid having to rescue a "lawn gone bad".

For managing your lawn in the best possible way, these are the main things to consider. For example, it really helps to scarify for weed control. Not only that, scarifying stimulates and fortifies lawn growth, of course in combination with proper feeding. Worm control is very important, because nothing attracts weed seeds more than worm casts. Utilising a good fertiliser acts directly against weed growth and really helps your grass to be much stronger and healthier.

Feeding

I know of people that only feed their lawn once a year. I say only, because that is not enough for the great lawn maintenance you want. It's essential that your lawn receives it's spring feed. When buying your fertiliser for the spring feed, make sure it has nitrogen in it along with phosphates and potash. A summer feed, if you got a lawn that looks bit tired, should be performed by applying a proprietary lawn care tonic or a fertiliser that's rich in nitrogen. It's recommended that your autumn lawn feed include most of all potash and phosphates.

Watering

Watering your lawn once a week should be enough, unless it's remarkably hot. You could rely on the weather (rain) to do the watering for you, but when spring ends and summertime kicks in, your lawn experiences dry periods. You can easily spot when that happens; the grass color changes from beautiful green to brown-ish. Almost everybody knows this, but I will mention it just in case: Always water your lawn early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it's cooler. If you have a rotary sprinkler, even better.

Proper Mowing

Finally, proper mowing of your lawn is really important, but you already knew that, right? Well, you would be amazed of how many people out there go about mowing their lawn all wrong. Your lawn should be mowed regularly, because that's what keeps a "field of grass" looking attractive. Make sure your blades are sharp, and not set to low. The following lengths are usually applied: For grass that's a little more coarse, a 25mm length can be maintained. Finer grass can be mowed to a 15 mm to 20 mm length. Operate the mower in one constant direction and at a smooth pace, not back and forth movement. It's also recommended that you mow your lawn when the grass is dry, that way you won't have to deal so much with the mower clogging.