Easy Lawn Care for Women

Women can keep a beautiful, lush, green lawn just as well as any one else. You just have to want to do it and have the right tools. From single mom to retired grandmother, more and more women are taking over lawn care duties and not hiring people to do it for us.

Here's what I've learned while caring for my own lawn.

· Mowing height for most grasses is 1.5 to 2 inches. Any shorter than that and you will be scalping (cutting too short) your lawn. Scalping will cause the lawn to not retain enough water. It's the quickest way to turn your lawn brown.

· Mow frequently, it will keep the lawn at a consistent length. I mow my own lawn every week, 2 times a week when there's been a lot of rain. It makes the lawn look nice and keeps it growing. It will also encourage your lawn to thicken up.

· Keep your mower's blades sharp. Dull blades just tear the blades of grass. You want to get a nice even cut look to your grass. Tearing can harm the blades and cause grass to die.

· Change direction every other time you mow. It helps reduce the damage to the areas you turn around in. If you mow north to south one week, mow east to west the next week.

· Always take a walk around your yard before you start mowing. Pick up and move any fallen branches, garbage or rocks that may have found their way onto your yard. It'll make mowing simpler and faster if you do this first.

· If your lawn needs watering, do it infrequently. It encourages the roots of the grass to grow deeper. Most types of grass need and inch or more of water every week, more if you're having extremely hot weather.

· Make sure you aren't in an area that is having drought conditions. If your area is in the middle of a drought and you are out watering the lawn, the fines can be quite large. Watering at sunrise or after dusk will help keep water from evaporating too quickly, which means less watering.

· For great results that are easy, use a garden hose attached weed and feed when treating your lawn. This helps kill off the weeds while giving your grass the nutrients it needs.

· Don't go cheap on your fertilizer. You may be able to get a bargain on an off brand fertilizer, but you could pay the price later. You could have to fertilize more often with the lower priced brands.

· Be watchful of pests and wildlife. You can spray your yard to keep insects down. You will also want to watch for squirrels that will dig up your yard and rabbits that will nibble on your grass. There are commercial products that you can pick up to discourage these pests.

· Thicken up thin grass. This is easily done with any commercial patching grass seed. It will take a few months to see results and you will have to spread the seeds a few times. Birds can sometimes be a problem when trying to seed new grass, on an already established lawn it's hard to control them. Just put down a heavier layer of seeds so that more will sprout.

· Use safety equipment. You never know when the mower might kick up a rock or stray branch. Protect your eyes, wear safety goggles. Always wear long pants, to help protect your shins.

Caring for your lawn isn't as hard as most women think. It just takes a little learning and a little muscle. Any woman can have a green, lush, nicely mowed lawn.