Your front yard is the first impression people have of your home. Colorful plantings full of blooms and texture make a yard interesting and eye-catching. A well-manicured lawn gives the yard a healthy and fresh look. Here are a few tips to help keep your lawn in great shape.
Hills and Valleys
Gentle, rolling mounds like those found on a golf course, can add interest and texture. Add a shallow ledge here and there with a natural stone or rock wall edge. If you have unwanted low spots, you may want to bring in some topsoil to level them out. If the problem is that the lawn has settled over sewer or water pipes, you may want to have trench breakers installed, similar to those used in construction projects to reinforce and support the soil above.
Fertilize and Treat Weeds
Fertilizer is a good way to thicken a lawn. Choose one that is high in nitrogen to bring out the green in your lawn. If it is not responsive, you may need to
use some humates, or humic acid, to make the soil more receptive. For thin or bare areas you may possibly need to overseed the area. Treat the lawn for clover, chickweed and crabgrass if needed. You can choose from granules or liquid seed treatments. The fertilizer can help thicken the lawn and choke out the weeds.
Water
Don’t underestimate the power of water, but don’t overdo it either. If you have a sprinkling system, it only needs to be set to go off for about an hour and a half a couple of times a week. If you water early in the morning, the cells of the grass are still open and receptive, they can more fully absorb the water and should not require more than that.
Resolve to be known as the house with the great grass, rather than the house with the patchy, weed-filled yard. It really doesn’t take that much more effort to produce great results you can be proud of.