Taking control of your lawn now in the spring will help keep it in the best shape for the entire summer. Here are the steps you can take to get your lawn back in shape.
Start by cleaning things up. Take your rake and rake out the lawn. This will serve a couple of purposes. First, it will remove dead grass and other debris. Second, it will open up the lawn to allow the soil to absorb both water and nutrients.
Your lawn has probably become compacted over the last year, especially if people have been walking on it. Compact soil makes it harder for oxygen to reach the roots of your grass and plants, making them weaker. Aerating the soil is the solution. You can use a manual aerating tool, which removes small plugs of soil from your lawn. A larger lawn may require renting a power aerator.
The next step you should take is to fertilize your lawn by using a slow-release lawn food that is high in nitrogen. This will give your grass a good start to grow strong and beautiful.
Have you heard of over-seeding? Use a good quality grass seed that is appropriate for your area and over-seed your thin or patchy lawn. To over-seed, do the following:
First apply a thick layer of triple mix over the area. Triple mix is made up of top soil, peat moss an compost.
Next, spread your grass seed, in a thin layer, on top of the triple mix. Rake the seed in to the mix.
Finally, water, water, water to keep the soil moist, allowing your grass seed to sprout.
If you have weeds, you can either pull them all or apply a weed killer. If you aren’t seeing any weeds just yet, apply a pre-emergent weed killer, which will get the weeds before they spout.
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