Power Lawn Care Tips

It really isn't necessary to use tons of chemicals and fertilizers on your lawn. The key to having a nice lawn is simple. You need to grow the right grass at the right height. Here are several power lawn care tips for you. Follow these and you will have a great looking healthy lawn that will be the envy of the neighbors.

Probably the most important tip of all it to be sure to plant the correct type of grass for the area where you live. For those who live in the northern part of the country, you need to plant cool season grass. This means that your grass stays green during the winter but might go dormant or turn brown during late summer. For southerners, warm season grass should be planted. The grass stays green in the summer but during the winter it may go dormant. If you are centrally located, either cool or warm season grass can be used, depending on which type of dormancy you prefer. Or another thing that can be effective is to mix cool and warm season grasses in a mixture.

The next important thing to do is to make sure that you plant grass at the proper time of year. A cool season grass needs to be planted during the month of August. If sown in the spring time, the young grass will be exposed to the heat of summer and will burn. A warm season grass needs to planted in spring time after the soil has become warm enough to allow the seed to germinate.

If you are unable to plant at the proper time of year, what you can do is lay sod. This is much more expensive than planting grass seed, but the grass will usually do well at any time of year, provided you water it on a regular basis.

Another timing issue is ensuring that you feed your lawn at the proper times. A cool season grass needs to be during in the fall. You should spread approximately an inch of compost for the lawn and then rake it in. This provides your lawn with the proper amount of food and also helps to improve the soil's structure. Another lighting feeding can also be done during the spring. A winter season grass needs three feedings in the summer months of June, July and August. Each feeding should consist of about an inch of compost.

Whatever type of grass you have, you need to be sure to cut it to the proper height. Many people make the mistake of cutting their lawns too short. This can send your grass into shock and your lawn becomes more vulnerable to disease, pests and weeds. Kentucky bluegrass and other types of cool season grasses thrive in full sun. They could be cut to approximately 2-3 inches tall. Fescues and other types of shade grasses should be maintained at about three and a half inches. St Augustine, Bermuda and other types of warm season grasses should be cut at about two inches.

Keep your lawn mower well maintained and replace the blade every year for a clean cut. The best type of mower to use is a mulching mower that cuts and returns grass clippings to the lawn. This provides your lawn with nitrogen and about half of the feed your grass needs each season.

The optimal time for watering your lawn is early morning. You should give your lawn a deep soaking. This will encourage your grass to grow deep roots. Try to avoid watering during the hottest parts of the day or at night.