Common Lawn Care Mistakes To Avoid
Date: 19 Dec 2022
Lush green and healthy lawns enhance the visual appeal of your property while adding tremendous environmental benefits to your bucket. A well-cared lawn not only looks good, but also freshens up the local atmosphere, filters out atmospheric pollutants, and prevents soil erosion.
Developing an ideal lawn necessitates the application of appropriate and calculated measures of care rather than a simple watering and mowing routine. Therefore, hiring lawn care professionals is the best way to nourish your lawn effectively and efficiently. However, if you prefer to take care of your property yourself, here are some common lawn care mistakes that you should avoid if you’re looking to be the proud owners of a luscious, appealing green lawn!
1. Not testing the soil
Most homeowners who aren’t professional gardeners, are used to planting grass and plants thoughtlessly. However, it is imperative to remember that grass thrives best in soil with a pH level between 6 to 6.5. Therefore, consider sending your backyard’s soil sample for pH testing before planting in it. This will allow you to learn some valuable insights about your soil and how to best utilize its properties to make your lawn grow faster.
2. Purchasing the wrong seeds
It’s common knowledge that all grass seeds contain weed. And while this can be a bummer, it is also a significant piece of information that will come in handy while you’re caring for your lawn. Hence, the next time you’re out shopping for grass seeds, remember to read the label of the seed packet and check out the percentage of ‘weed grass’ mentioned therein. Also ensure to check the ‘other crop’ percentage mentioned on the packet. The trick is to look for premium seeds with a negligible portion of weed seed and other crops that will help your lawn look beautiful with lush green grass.
3. Planting only one type of seed
Choosing the right type of grass is critically important to develop a lush lawn. Planting seeds of different varieties boosts the overall quality of your yard soil and also balances the strengths and weaknesses of each type of seed. Hence, it empowers your lawn to brave bad weather conditions, including excessive heat or drought, among others.
4. Over Scalping the lawn
Constant chopping or scalping your grass too short is one of the biggest mistakes you should avoid while caring for your lawn. Cutting your grass too frequently restricts its capacity to soak sunlight, thus hindering its photosynthesis process. It often leads to a weak root system, weakening your lawn’s overall health. Therefore, you should set the mower’s height to about 2.5 inches above ground and take care to not chop off more than a third of the grass blade at once. It will enable your grass to develop a robust and enduring root system and keep it healthy and lush green.
5. Watering too frequently
Every yard has its own set of unique requirements, but as a rule of thumb, most only require an inch of watering per week. This is because watering too much can discourage the grass from developing a solid root system, and also lead to waterlogging, which essentially seeps away from the essential nutrients from the soil. The excessive moisture from overwatering can also help foster fungal spores, making the lawn susceptible to diseases. Therefore, lawn owners must maintain a careful and balanced watering schedule throughout the year to not drown their lawn in too much water.
6. Watering at the wrong time
Another significant watering mistake when it comes to lawn care, is watering the lawn at the wrong times. It is important to remember that the best watering time is between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. as there is less wind and sun exposure. This provides your plants with ample time to carry out the photosynthesis process and produce the essential nutrients to grow. It is not advisable to water your lawn during the nighttime as it can stimulate mildew growth of fungus.
7. Using too much fertiliser
Fertilizers are an essential part of creating a healthy, green lawn. However, overfertilization, especially with high amounts of nitrogen, will only help in extending leaf growth while restricting root development. A heavy dose of fertilisers can even damage the soil and hence, the lawn. It’s best to always consult a lawn expert and use slow-release fertilizers if you must. Also ensure to spread it evenly and in balanced proportions throughout the lawn at appropriate intervals. For further advice you can check out the Lawn Rite Lawn Care Tips page
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