Lawn and Garden Care Tips
There is nothing quite as great to the soles of your feet as the feel of a lush lawn underfoot. Whether it is for romping, strolling, or simply enjoying you own bit of green earth, the lawn is an incomparable thing to have. But without proper lawn and garden care, how can you expect your lawn to thrive?
Good news: Lawn and garden care is something even the most inexperienced pseudo-gardener can do! Just follow the lawn and garden care steps provided below for virtually guaranteed success:
Step 1: Plan Your Lawn
The planning stage of lawn and garden care is actually easier said than done. There are many factors to consider, least of which is the size of your intended lawn and its shape. Knowing these two beforehand will help you determine the kind and extent of maintenance required and the watering needs of your lawn.
Size: Be sure to measure your lawn area to get an estimate of how many square feet of coverage you need.
Shape and Layout: Choose a layout for your lawn, one that allows you to mow without stopping or backing up. In addition, avoid sharp curves and corners and include borders in your layout in order to make mowing quicker.
Step 2: Choose the Grass
The type of grass is another important step in lawn and garden care. As much as possible, you want your lawn grass to be compatible with the soil in your region. Check your local extension branch for a guide on grass types growing in your region and choose grass that corresponds to it.
After years of rendering lawn and garden care, we have found out that some grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass, prefer cool northern weather. There are also those that prefer hotter southern climates, like the Bermuda, St. Augustine, and zoysia. If you are not entirely sure about your region, you may be safe with tall fescue which is known to grow in areas where regions merge.
Step 3: Test the Soil
A soil test is the next most important aspect of lawn and garden care. There are many different kinds of soil and each type may have different levels of acidity and nutrient content. In order to get the right fertilizer for your soil type, you need to get your soil tested first.
After you test the soil, correct the problem accordingly. Often, organic matter is recommended to increase the nutrient levels in soil. However, when it comes to achieving acid balance, lawn and garden care specialists recommend lime or sulfur to adjust the soil's acidity. Just spread a 2 to 3 inch or 5 to 8 cm layer of organic matter over the area and incorporate it to 6 to 9 inches or 15 to 23 cm into the soil.
Step 4: Install a Sprinkler System
While grass does not need constant watering, water remains an essential component in its growth. Therefore, another significant aspect in lawn and garden care is a sprinkler system. This is especially significant if you live in an area where the growing season is naturally dry. If you live where summer rainfall is normally abundant, buried sprinklers are optional but convenient.
Lawn Care Tip No. 1: Get the moving height right for the right time of year.
It's hard to believe, I know, but there is actually more to mowing than just cutting the grass every Saturday. Height is important and you need it right according to the season. The reason is that the grasses the extra length to absorb the sunshine it needs to grown and develop into a healthy plant.
The lower you cut, the more time it would take for them to grow back, ergo, no mowing for you for a longer period. If your mindset is similar to this, you need to change it. Because if you cut too low, chances are the grass will die because their blades won't have enough surface to absorb the sunlight and perform photosynthesis, a process essential to their growth and survival.
Getting the mowing height right for your type of lawn and for the season therefore is one of the most fundamental steps to a beautiful lawn. A lawn care tip for early fall or spring would be to cut the grass to a height of 2 - 3 inches. Most grasses during this particular season do well at that height. If, however, you are cutting in the summer, a lawn care tip would be to set it even higher.
The minimum recommended height for most turf grasses is around 1.5 inches. If you want a healthy lawn, make sure that you never go below that for the last mowing of the season. Also, one excellent lawn care tip is to leave the clippings on the lawn after you mow. This not only saves time and energy, but the clippings decompose and add vital nutrients back into the soil.
Lawn Care Tip No. 2: Use a sharp blade.
It does not matter what type of mower you use. What is important is the condition of the blade. Dull blades end up tearing the grass, instead of cutting them cleanly. This causes unnecessary destruction of your turf grass, which can be detrimental to your lawn's health.
A lawn care tip would be to take a close look at a grass blade a few days after mowing. You will notice if the blade is dull because a jagged brown line is usually present across the tip of the cut grass. If this is true in your case, then your blade needs sharpening.
Lawn Care Tip No. 3: Regulate the water intake.
While it is true that your grass needs water to grow, understand that grass have shallow roots that do not grow in too deep into the soil. In fact, most grasses only require 1 - 1.5 inches of water per week, which is enough to moisten the soil to 4 - 6 inches below the surface for clay soils and 8 - 10 inches for sandy soils. For this reason, over watering your lawn may cause more damage than a lack of water.
A valuable lawn care tip is to invest in a rain gauge. Do not guess at how much water your lawn is getting. | 
