How will you keep your ideal outdoor space looking its best once you have developed it and picked the correct soil and grass for the area? Follow these simple procedures and maintain a regular maintenance schedule of the home backyard to avoid having a boring, weed-infested lawn again.
Let’s have a look at these 5 easy tips for your home backyard maintenance.
Table of Contents
1. Do Not Fertilize Too Early in the Process
Source: gardeningknowhow.com
Autumn is the greatest time to fertilize since it helps establish turf by providing the food that grass plants require to develop their root systems.
Many people, though, will fertilize in the spring. Make sure you don’t fertilize too early in the spring. This will prematurely divert the plant’s resources to leaf development. The grass, on the other hand, needs phosphorus for root formation.
In most areas, late spring (about May) is the optimal time to apply the first spring application, just as the grass is beginning to turn green and you want to promote a lush, green lawn. Fertilize before the summer heat sets in and after the grass has grown to its full potential. The plant will reestablish its food supply with a good feeding of 34 to 1 pound of fertilizer.
When fertilizing grass in the spring, use a light hand. Fertilizing with a lot of nitrogen (N) is bad for the grass and can cause disease problems. Healthy grass is light, brilliant green in color; if it is darker, it indicates too much nitrogen in the soil (which will also run off into our water supply). Remember that you can start with a small amount and build up until you achieve the desired color.
Consider using a mulching mower, which allows grass clippings to be returned to the soil. This saves you time and effort while also enhancing the appearance of your grass.
2. Mowing Woes
Source: workwave.com
Probably the most time-consuming aspect of lawn care is mowing. Whatever sort of grass you have, it’s critical to keep your mower blade sharp so that you’re cutting grass blades neatly rather than shredding them, which allows bugs and diseases to enter.
It’s also crucial to understand the correct mowing height for your turf type. Turf height varies by grass variety for warm-season grasses, ranging from 1 to 4 inches. Find out what kind of grass you have and keep it at the right height. You can also carry a mowing guide in your #Lockboss Carhartt Utility Tote!
3. Go Easy on the Leaves Cleaning
Even if you picked up some leaves in the fall, many trees (such as oaks) lose leaves (as well as damaged or fallen limbs) throughout the winter and into the spring. Let’s not get carried away and think we have to tidy up every last leaf from our lawn to compete in the neighborhood beauty competition. A small amount of leaf litter aids pollinators and wildlife in surviving the winter.
How to Do It:
Remove any debris, thick leaf mounds, or multiple layers of leaves. This encourages the growth of mold, disease, and decay. Do not, however, rake into moist ground. It’s preferable to wait until temperatures are in the upper 40s or 50s before going outside.
Add those leaves to your compost pile if you have one (or wish to start one!). If not, simply mow any thin layers of leaves in with the first cut of the season, and they’ll break down and add organic matter and nourishment to the soil. Get Arlington backyard and tree expert services for your backyard.
If you have perennial beds, wait until the weather has warmed up, and it feels like spring is here to stay before cutting down those spent perennial stems. So many predators (lacewings, parasitic wasps) and beneficial insects (ladybugs, native bees) are still ‘hibernating’ under leaf litter or hollow plant stems.
As the temperature warms and the daylight increases, they will ‘wake up.’ If you can’t wait any longer, simply remove the spent plant stems and place them along the edge of your land or in the woods. The native bees will be grateful!
4. If the Soil Has Been Compacted, Losen It
Source: wp.com
Are there any flower beds in your yard? The soil in your garden beds may be fully compacted after the winter. Remove the thick layers of leaves that have accumulated on the evergreen ground cover beds. Leave thin layers of leaves in your beds alone and simply mulch over them afterward.
They’ll decompose and enrich your soil with organic stuff. Then loosen the soil to allow oxygen to reach the roots of the plants. Small areas can be tilled with hand tools, while larger areas may benefit from tilling.
When people walk on a grass lawn, the soil becomes compacted. We recommend aerating the grass if you notice areas of moss or symptoms of decline; this allows water and air to reach the root zone more quickly, resulting in new growth and root development. However, the optimum time to accomplish this is in the fall. Rent a lawn aerator from a home improvement store near you.
Clippings can contain up to 90% water; they dry out quite quickly. It’s as if the grass cuttings have vanished. Plus, it returns 25% of the nutrients to the soil, making it an excellent fertilizer.
5. Aerate
Aerating a lawn greatly enhances its health by generating holes in the soil that allow oxygen, water, and fertilizer to reach the grassroots. Aeration helps to improve root growth by reducing soil compaction. Aeration, like fertilization, should be done shortly before the grass enters its active growing phase.
In late spring or early summer, aerate warm-season turf and cool-season lawns should be aerated in early fall. Time fall aeration such that the grass has four weeks of vigorous growth before the first frost.
If your backyard is as dear to you as your front yard, consider these tips for home backyard maintenance to prove your beautiful lawn.
