When to start lawn care
Lawn Care 101: How to Weed, Seed, Feed, Mow, & Water
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the grass isn't always greener on the
other side with a little regular
maintenance your lawn can be the envy of
the neighborhood a healthy lawn has six
basic components first thing you need to
address weeds look at the overall health
of your lawn if you have large areas of
weeds with very little grass it may be
time to start over spray the weeds with
non-selective weed killer and wait for
them to die non-selective means it kills
all plants so be careful what and where
you spray if your lawn is in better
shape and you only have the occasional
we'd use a selective herbicide and spot
treat only the areas with weeds
once the weeds are eliminated it's time
to improve your soil over time the soil
under your lawn begins to degrade in
quality dethatch using a garden rake
start by raking your lawn vigorously to
remove thatch the dead grass and other
debris that prevents water nutrients and
air from reaching the root system next
aerate your lawn aerating reduces soil
compaction by poking holes in the ground
the best option is to use a core aerator
which removes small plugs of dirt to
loosen the soil on small yards you can
use a spiked aerator now that your weeds
and soil are in check you're ready to
seed there are two categories of seed
warm season grass like Bermuda and
centipede and cool season varieties like
fescue and bluegrass choose the grass
that's best for your region lows can
help you decide if your lawn is in good
shape you'll want to over seed which
means to evenly spread seed over the
entire lawn check the label to determine
which spreader setting to use if you
have bare patches you'll need to spot
seed
loosen the soil with a rake and evenly
spread seed directly on the soil rake
the seed in and tamp it down with the
end of the rake this seed to soil
contact is essential for germination
spread a small amount of mulch or straw
on top for insulation
finally keep the seated area
consistently moist for a couple of weeks
until you see the new growth make sure
not to overwater the area just enough to
keep it slightly wet
with the soil prepared and the seed down
you're well on your way to greener grass
now learn about feeding begin by
measuring your lawns square footage to
determine how much fertilizer you will
need you can use either a broadcast or
drop spreader just be sure to check the
bag for the correct spreader setting you
want to get the amount of fertilizer
right as too much can be just as bad for
your grass as too little apply the
fertilizer evenly do not overlap passes
using weed and feed is a convenient way
to deal with weeds and fertilize your
lawn in one pass just don't use these
types if you are sowing grass because
they work by preventing seeds from
germinating if you are sowing grass use
a lawn starter fertilizer instead how
often you fertilize your lawn depends on
several factors
so check out Lowe's comm Cal to learn
more
now that you've fed your lawn it's time
to think about mowing first only mow
when the lawn is dry otherwise your
grass clippings may clump next make sure
to cut the right height for your type of
grass typically cool season grasses are
cut taller and warm season grasses a
little bit shorter if you're not sure
use the 1/3 rule only remove 1/3 the
length of each blade be mindful of your
grass type when mowing and slow your
mowing frequency for cool season grasses
when the weather is hot and arid keep
your mower blade sharp for a clean cut
that's disease resistant and alter your
mowing patterns so grass won't lean in
one direction last but not least comes
watering most lawns need about an inch
of water per week a rain gauge can help
you monitor rainfall deeply water your
lawn in the morning to avoid loss of
moisture from evaporation watering
deeply is the most efficient method it
gives the water time to reach the root
system and allows the soil to dry Sun
between watering it's a good idea to
hook your sprinkler to a timer to avoid
runoff and wasted water that's it by
following these easy steps your lawn can
look great with just a little time and
effort for more on lawn care
including the best time to seed and
fertilize visit lowes.com slash lawn
care
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