Achieving a lawn that looks like you hired a pro lawn care specialist to care for is easier than you think. Some of the pro lawn care ideas are simply common sense but people often overlook them when caring for their lawn. Simple things like ensuring that your mower blade is sharpened can make a huge difference in the quality of your lawn.
Dull mower blades can tear and shred grass instead of making a clean cut. When grass is torn or shredded, it leaves the grass open to disease and can stress the grass. When you ensure that your mower blade is sharp you increase the chance that your lawn will remain healthy and disease-resistant.
Raise the level of your mowing blade. Unless you are running a golf course in your yard there is no reason to have your lawn extremely short. One fact that many people do not know is that when you cut your lawn extremely short you are forcing the grass to grow faster. The green grass blades are the source of the food the grass takes in and stores from the sun. Pro lawn care specialists know that if you leave the grass longer it will grow more slowly. This also reduces the amount of times you need to mow your lawn throughout the summer months.
Another pro lawn care tip is to use a mulching mower when you mow your lawn. The grass cuttings that are returned to the soil can replace at least half of the nitrogen your lawn needs to stay green and healthy. If you add an overdressing of compost in the spring you can completely remove the need for fertilizers for your lawn.
Many pro lawn care companies have found that corn gluten is an effective natural weed prevention compound. When applied in the spring it can prevent the growth of most of the weeds that plague lawns. However, corn gluten is not recommended for new lawns. If you are starting a new lawn you may want to try a product like WOW! ® Supreme Pre-Emergent Weed Control and Lawn Fertilizer. This all natural weed killer is targeted at weeds before they grow and become a problem in your lawn.
Pro lawn care services know that watering can be an issue with many lawns. Most lawns require between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain per week. Many people forget to factor in the amount of rain fall their area has received during the week. Over-watering your lawn can be more damaging than under-watering it. If you do need to water your lawn throughout the summer months, be sure to do a longer soaking once a week rather than several days of light watering. Light watering encourages shallow root growth in your lawn. One deep-soaking watering encourages grass to develop a deeper root system, which then requires less watering.
As you can see, many of the pro lawn care tips are common sense once you get to know the reasons behind them.