How to Care for Your Lawn in Every Season
It’s not a secret that a lawn needs three things to stimulate healthy growth: fertilizer, water, and mowing. But deciding when and how to fertilize, water, and mow your lawn can be tricky, though.
We hear from a lot of homeowners with questions like: When should I fertilize my lawn? When is the best time for seeding? How often should I fertilize? How short should I cut my lawn? How much water does my grass need?
That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to help you create your own do-it-yourself lawn maintenance plan and get the lawn you’ve always wanted.
Here’s how to care for your lawn in every season.
Prepping Your Lawn in the Spring
The spring is a busy time for lawn maintenance, and you can get a jumpstart even before the ground has fully thawed.
The first step to getting a fuller, greener lawn this year is doing some basic lawn mower maintenance, and it can be done at any time in the spring. Gas and battery-powered lawn mowers require different levels of maintenance. For gas-powered lawn mowers, for example, you should change the engine’s oil and replace the air filter. Battery-powered mowers, on the other hand, don’t require any engine maintenance.
For all types of mowers, though, ensure the undercarriage is clean and free of any debris from last year. The most important thing to do is sharpen your blade. Dull mower blades give your lawn a jagged, uneven cut, and can make your grass more susceptible to pests, disease, and the sun. If the tips of your grass blades become brown after a mow, it’s time to sharpen or replace your mower’s blade. A sharp and balanced mower blade gives you clean and even cuts. Before you use your mower for the first time, don’t forget to clean up any branches and sticks that may have fallen during the winter months. Even small twigs can dull your mower’s blades.
Once the temperature starts going up and your grass is actively growing, get out as early as you can and start on the next step of your springtime lawn maintenance: dethatching.
Thatch is the layer of organic material — living and dead — that accumulates between the soil and the grass. Over time, excessive thatch buildup can block air and water from getting to the grassroots.
To see whether it’s necessary to dethatch your lawn, take a spade and dig up a small portion of the soil. If you see a light brown layer of material between the soil and the grass blade that’s ¾” to 1” thick, it’s time to dethatch. For a small lawn, you can dethatch with a simple thatch rake. Pull and push the rake over a small area to loosen the thatch and then use a standard rake to clean it up. For larger lawns, you may want to use an electric dethatcher or a tow-behind dethatcher that can be attached to a riding mower.
After dethatching, if necessary, you can also aerate your lawn in the spring. If you’re unfamiliar with aeration, it’s the process of puncturing your soil with small holes, and it’s especially important for lawns with high-traffic areas. High traffic compacts the soil and makes it hard for grass to grow. Like dethatching, aeration helps water and air get to the grassroots, but aerating your lawn is a completely different process. The simplest way to aerate your lawn is to use a pitchfork to bore holes across your lawn, but for larger lawns, it’s easier to use a tow-behind aerator that attaches to your riding mower.
Overseeding and fertilizing your lawn after aerating lets grass seeds and nutrients from the fertilizer find their way into holes and have direct contact with the soil, speeding up the germination of the seed. Remember to keep the new seeds moist to help them grow. It’s best to water your lawn in the morning so that the soil has time to absorb the moisture before the sun evaporates it.
After overseeding, it’s important to let your grass grow for a few weeks before your first mow. Mowing too soon can damage the seeds. The first time you mow in the spring, you should also keep the blade higher than you normally would. Cutting your grass too short too early can stunt its growth.
Keeping Your Yard Green in Summer
In the heat of the summer, it can be tough to keep your yard green and healthy. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on the weather and water your lawn regularly, but your grass might not need as much water as you expect.
In many situations, certain sections of the yard need more water than others. Take a close look at your grass and investigate any areas of discoloration; grass that needs water tends to turn a dull shade of green. Another way to tell if your lawn needs watering is to simply walk on it. If the grass blades spring back after you step on them, it has plenty of water. But, on the other hand, if you can see your footprints on the turf, your grass doesn’t have enough moisture in its blades to bounce back.
If you haven’t had any rainfall, the humidity is low or some areas of the lawn look a little dull, it’s time to water your lawn. Like watering your growing grass in the spring, the morning is the best time to water your lawn in the summer so that the mid-day sun doesn’t evaporate it before the soil has time to absorb it. But don’t overwater it; overwatering is wasteful, and it can cause growing problems, too. An overwatered lawn helps weeds thrive, contributes to thatch buildup and can lead to the growth of fungi.
Mowing at the proper height is extremely important in the summer, too. Mow slightly higher than you think you should. As a general rule of thumb, you should never cut more than a third of the grass blade when you cut. Longer grass blades give the soil some shade, so the water evaporates slower, meaning you don’t have to water it as often.
After a fresh cut, you might be tempted to rake the grass clippings off your lawn, but clippings are a great source of nutrients for the soil, meaning you can use less fertilizer and still get a green, healthy lawn.
Fertilizing Your Lawn in Fall
Fall is arguably the most important time to fertilize your lawn — even more important than fertilizing in the spring. A few weeks before the first frost, apply fertilizer to your grass and set yourself up for strong, healthy growth in the spring. Fertilizing in the spring helps your grass recover from the hot summer heat and prepare for the cold of winter.
Apart from applying fertilizer, the most important thing you can do for your lawn in the fall is keep it free of leaves. Leaves block sunlight and can make it much harder to grow a healthy lawn in the spring, so rake your leaves as soon as possible. If you have the equipment, you can mulch the leaves and leave them on the lawn. Like lawn clippings, mulched leaves are full of nutrients, like nitrogen, which your grass can absorb.
If you didn’t dethatch or aerate in the spring, early fall is a great time to do both because it gives the grass time to recover before the harsh winter temperatures set in. If you’re overseeding in the fall, aerating can make it easier for grass seeds to take hold. Just make sure to keep the ground moist and get the seeds into your aeration holes.
Planning in the Winter
While the temperatures fall and your lawn goes dormant, there isn’t much maintenance to do in the winter. But before the first frost, supply your lawn with a slow-release fertilizer rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen will give it the nutrients it needs to survive the harsh winter. You should also be aware that the rock salt used to melt ice on sidewalks and driveways can cause damage to your lawn, drying it out down to the root.
Next, start making your plan for next year. What needs to be done in the spring? Do you need new equipment? Does your existing equipment need to be repaired? Mark your calendar, stick to your calendar and you’ll have a lush green lawn in no time.
Have questions about getting a greener lawn? Your local Hardware Hank is here to help.
It’s not a secret that a lawn needs three things to stimulate healthy growth: fertilizer, water, and mowing. But deciding when and how to fertilize, water, and mow your lawn can be tricky, though.
We hear from a lot of homeowners with questions like: When should I fertilize my lawn? When is the best time for seeding? How often should I fertilize? How short should I cut my lawn? How much water does my grass need?
That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to help you create your own do-it-yourself lawn maintenance plan and get the lawn you’ve always wanted.
Here’s how to care for your lawn in every season.
Prepping Your Lawn in the Spring
The spring is a busy time for lawn maintenance, and you can get a jumpstart even before the ground has fully thawed.
The first step to getting a fuller, greener lawn this year is doing some basic lawn mower maintenance, and it can be done at any time in the spring. Gas and battery-powered lawn mowers require different levels of maintenance. For gas-powered lawn mowers, for example, you should change the engine’s oil and replace the air filter. Battery-powered mowers, on the other hand, don’t require any engine maintenance.
For all types of mowers, though, ensure the undercarriage is clean and free of any debris from last year. The most important thing to do is sharpen your blade. Dull mower blades give your lawn a jagged, uneven cut, and can make your grass more susceptible to pests, disease, and the sun. If the tips of your grass blades become brown after a mow, it’s time to sharpen or replace your mower’s blade. A sharp and balanced mower blade gives you clean and even cuts. Before you use your mower for the first time, don’t forget to clean up any branches and sticks that may have fallen during the winter months. Even small twigs can dull your mower’s blades.
Once the temperature starts going up and your grass is actively growing, get out as early as you can and start on the next step of your springtime lawn maintenance: dethatching.
Thatch is the layer of organic material — living and dead — that accumulates between the soil and the grass. Over time, excessive thatch buildup can block air and water from getting to the grassroots.
To see whether it’s necessary to dethatch your lawn, take a spade and dig up a small portion of the soil. If you see a light brown layer of material between the soil and the grass blade that’s ¾” to 1” thick, it’s time to dethatch. For a small lawn, you can dethatch with a simple thatch rake. Pull and push the rake over a small area to loosen the thatch and then use a standard rake to clean it up. For larger lawns, you may want to use an electric dethatcher or a tow-behind dethatcher that can be attached to a riding mower.
After dethatching, if necessary, you can also aerate your lawn in the spring. If you’re unfamiliar with aeration, it’s the process of puncturing your soil with small holes, and it’s especially important for lawns with high-traffic areas. High traffic compacts the soil and makes it hard for grass to grow. Like dethatching, aeration helps water and air get to the grassroots, but aerating your lawn is a completely different process. The simplest way to aerate your lawn is to use a pitchfork to bore holes across your lawn, but for larger lawns, it’s easier to use a tow-behind aerator that attaches to your riding mower.
Overseeding and fertilizing your lawn after aerating lets grass seeds and nutrients from the fertilizer find their way into holes and have direct contact with the soil, speeding up the germination of the seed. Remember to keep the new seeds moist to help them grow. It’s best to water your lawn in the morning so that the soil has time to absorb the moisture before the sun evaporates it.
After overseeding, it’s important to let your grass grow for a few weeks before your first mow. Mowing too soon can damage the seeds. The first time you mow in the spring, you should also keep the blade higher than you normally would. Cutting your grass too short too early can stunt its growth.
Keeping Your Yard Green in Summer
In the heat of the summer, it can be tough to keep your yard green and healthy. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on the weather and water your lawn regularly, but your grass might not need as much water as you expect.
In many situations, certain sections of the yard need more water than others. Take a close look at your grass and investigate any areas of discoloration; grass that needs water tends to turn a dull shade of green. Another way to tell if your lawn needs watering is to simply walk on it. If the grass blades spring back after you step on them, it has plenty of water. But, on the other hand, if you can see your footprints on the turf, your grass doesn’t have enough moisture in its blades to bounce back.
If you haven’t had any rainfall, the humidity is low or some areas of the lawn look a little dull, it’s time to water your lawn. Like watering your growing grass in the spring, the morning is the best time to water your lawn in the summer so that the mid-day sun doesn’t evaporate it before the soil has time to absorb it. But don’t overwater it; overwatering is wasteful, and it can cause growing problems, too. An overwatered lawn helps weeds thrive, contributes to thatch buildup and can lead to the growth of fungi.
Mowing at the proper height is extremely important in the summer, too. Mow slightly higher than you think you should. As a general rule of thumb, you should never cut more than a third of the grass blade when you cut. Longer grass blades give the soil some shade, so the water evaporates slower, meaning you don’t have to water it as often.
After a fresh cut, you might be tempted to rake the grass clippings off your lawn, but clippings are a great source of nutrients for the soil, meaning you can use less fertilizer and still get a green, healthy lawn.
Fertilizing Your Lawn in Fall
Fall is arguably the most important time to fertilize your lawn — even more important than fertilizing in the spring. A few weeks before the first frost, apply fertilizer to your grass and set yourself up for strong, healthy growth in the spring. Fertilizing in the spring helps your grass recover from the hot summer heat and prepare for the cold of winter.
Apart from applying fertilizer, the most important thing you can do for your lawn in the fall is keep it free of leaves. Leaves block sunlight and can make it much harder to grow a healthy lawn in the spring, so rake your leaves as soon as possible. If you have the equipment, you can mulch the leaves and leave them on the lawn. Like lawn clippings, mulched leaves are full of nutrients, like nitrogen, which your grass can absorb.
If you didn’t dethatch or aerate in the spring, early fall is a great time to do both because it gives the grass time to recover before the harsh winter temperatures set in. If you’re overseeding in the fall, aerating can make it easier for grass seeds to take hold. Just make sure to keep the ground moist and get the seeds into your aeration holes.
Planning in the Winter
While the temperatures fall and your lawn goes dormant, there isn’t much maintenance to do in the winter. But before the first frost, supply your lawn with a slow-release fertilizer rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen will give it the nutrients it needs to survive the harsh winter. You should also be aware that the rock salt used to melt ice on sidewalks and driveways can cause damage to your lawn, drying it out down to the root.
Next, start making your plan for next year. What needs to be done in the spring? Do you need new equipment? Does your existing equipment need to be repaired? Mark your calendar, stick to your calendar and you’ll have a lush green lawn in no time.
Have questions about getting a greener lawn? Your local Hardware Hank is here to help.
