How To: Six Steps to a Better Lawn
‘Tis the season for barbecues, block parties, picnics and more. With proper care, your lawn can be both beautiful and barefoot-friendly – the perfect setting for outdoor play. Below are a few steps to take your yard from good to great.
- Test your soil. Inexpensive home kits can measure pH, or you can hire a professional to give you a more detailed description of your soil’s ingredients.
- Fertilize. After completing the soil test, take the results to your local gardening center for advice. First, apply the suggested fertilizer to the outer edges of your lawn, then make your way towards the middle.
- Calculate the calcium. Common lawn weeds grow zealously where calcium levels are low. If your calcium-to-magnesium ratio falls short of a 7 to 1 target, distribute high-calcium lime across your lawn.
- Cultivate with compost. Lay a ½ inch of compost over your early-season grass and rake it into the surface. (If you don’t make it yourself, compost can be purchased at a home center.)
- Wipe out the weeds. When the spring rains fall, the weeds come up, and that’s your cue to get to work! In moist soil, weeds will come out by hand.
- Let it lengthen. During the summer, you want to maintain your lawn’s length at about 3-3 ½ inches. The grass blades will shade out weed seeds and also reduce soil evaporation.
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