Keeping a verdant yard can be difficult and weeds and drought conditions can make you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle. Follow our tips if you want to achieve a lawn that will be the envy of the entire neighbourhood once and for all!
Know How and When to Mow
There is an art to mowing the lawn (or so they say), but certain precautions must be followed if you want to keep it healthy. For example, don’t trim it too short. Leave it at least eight centimetres long to prevent it from drying out too quickly. Moreover, avoid mowing when the turf is damp, namely early in morning before the dew has evaporated or after it has rained. If you wait for it to dry, the machine will cut more evenly and will be less likely to damage the grass.
Install an Irrigation System
To achieve lush vibrant green lawn, it is best to water every day, obviously. This is rather unrealistic, however, so do what you can. To save time and energy, consider installing an underground irrigation system. It is recommended that you hire a professional plumber for such a project. Once the system is in place, the ground-level sprinklers will effortlessly water the grass. As a matter of fact, you can program the system to have it turn on and turn off according to your municipality’s watering bylaw. Or purchase sprinklers that can be operated remotely (even from the cottage!)
Choose Healthy Soil and Quality Seeds for a Verdant Yard
Before you sew any seed or lay any turf, make sure you are starting with healthy soil. Topsoil specifically formulated for lawns—usually a mix of quality earth, sand and compost—is readily available in hardware stores and garden centres. When it comes to seeds, check that the bag contains endophytes, which are an extremely useful little fungus that helps keep harmful insects at bay.
Aerate the Soil
Just like us, your lawn needs to breathe to live and grown. Let air in by piercing small holes into the ground with a spike aerator or a pitchfork. As a bonus, doing so also allow water—from the sky or the hose—to penetrate more deeply to the roots. If you want to check if enough air is getting into your lawn or if the soil is too compacted, push a pencil into the soil. Having to use force is a sign that it is time to give it some air.
For a Green Green Lawn
Sometimes, trying a few eco-friendly hacks can be the path to a naturally green law, without chemicals or waste. Firstly, buy a rainwater collector to avoid using large amounts of drinking water during long spells without rain. Next, think about adding other types of ground cover to your lawn, such as clover and thyme. The more diverse the plant species that make up your lawn, the stronger it will be. It will equally be far more likely to resist pest damage and periods of drought. You can likewise spread organic compost on your lawn—quality compost will save you from having to use chemical fertilizers. Finally, once you’re finished mowing, don’t rake up the clippings. As they decompose, they become an excellent source of slow-release nitrogen for your lawn.
To conclude, it is important to know that yellow grass is not necessarily dead grass. In fact, it is not uncommon for it to change colour during a heatwave only to revert to its original healthy green once milder weather returns. Good luck!