Maintaining a gorgeous lawn over the full course of a year is tough work, so Mower Source likes to come up with quick and easy ways around that. Keep this handy cheatsheet with you all the time because it’s a great way to spruce things up in just one day.
1. Go a Little Nuts with Aerating
One of the most common phrases you’ll hear associated with any lawn is “soil drainage”. This refers to how well (or not) water makes its way from grass blades to the deepest levels of soil, sort of like how grape soda doesn’t just stay pooled on your carpet surface and instead makes its way down to the wood.
Unless your lawn is strictly off limits to foot traffic, then that repeated weight on it will cause the soil to compact over time. And when that happens, water has a harder time filtering through naturally and instead keeps the top level of the soil wet. Aerating your lawn is super quick and easy, and only requires punching holes a few inches into the soil to open it up again. The best part is you only need to do this about once a year.
2. Adjust Your Lawn Mower Blades
Your grass should never be cut shorter than two inches depending on the season (two in spring and autumn, three in the summer), but we like to let it grow an inch or two higher than that. By setting your blades too low, you’ll be seriously stressing out your grass and inviting all sorts of bugs and dehydration to take root. This tip takes all of five minutes, and will keep your grass happy and healthy.
3. Get Rid of Weeds for Good
Nobody likes weeding, especially when it’s so much easier to just run over them with a lawn mower. But if you don’t get them out by the root, then they’ll just keep popping back over and over again. Think of the difference between shaving and electrolysis: the former is quick, cheap, easy and painless, but it’s the former that gets rid of hair permanently. Do this early in the morning or after a rainfall when the ground is soft and weeds will be tons easier to pull up.
4. Mulch the Day Away
Mulch is like nature’s own fertilizer, helping your grass grow green and lush by feeding it essential nutrients. If you want a super shortcut on this tip, then keep the bag off your mower and let grass clippings fly everywhere. But if you want to do it the pro way, invest in mulch and spread a thin layer over your lawn.
5. Skip Watering When Grass Goes Brown
It’s an alarming sight: one day you wake up to see brown patches on your lawn, and think that some bug has found itself a new home. But if this appears after a spell of dry, hot weather, it’s just your lawn’s way of entering a mini hibernation state to protect itself. Your gut reaction may tell you to bring out the hose and soak your grass back into greenness, but pros know to just ride this period out. Just watch out for straw-colored grass, as that means it’s going from dormant to dead and needs water.
6. Water More Efficiently
In the spirit of keeping tips down to things that can be done in just one day, we’ve found a watering method that fits the bill. Many homeowners tend to turn on the sprinkler every day, giving their grass a regular — but shallow — watering. Instead, put a bunch of shallow dishes around your lawn, and water evenly until there’s an inch of water in each dish.
7. Cover Bald Spots with Decorations
Don’t have the skill, time or interest in tackling those dreaded bald patches on your lawn? That’s okay, you don’t have to! If the neighborhood dog won’t quit peeing on your grass, then battle back by putting in lawn decorations over the bald patches to hide them away. You can get creative with things like mini rock gardens or fake plants — anything that covers up these unsightly spots.