Homemakers take pride in their lawns and tend to spend a lot of time as well as money to keep the lawn looking healthy. Every home maker strives to create the best lawn for their home. Unfortunately sometimes all the efforts could do more damage than good. More than 80% of the issues in the yard is due to home owners who make common mistakes and end up killing precious grass.
1. Irrigation : Numerous mistakes with regard to irrigation has killed the lawn. This happens due to over watering and is a harmful practice and a common mistake about lawn care. Grass requires water but a lot of water is not ideal. The soil and wet thatch can cause turf disease and can attract insects while killing your grass. Grass will require about 1” water every week. Hence, a good soak once a week is better than consistent shallow watering because the water can penetrate the thatch and it could end up promoting deep roots. Alan Lander from Hydro Dynamics Corporation says that adding hardscaping features to your yard, such as stone walkways or a gazebo, will add beauty to your yard without requiring a lot of maintenance. You also need to consider rainfall in the watering schedule and skip watering all together when there are heavy showers. You need to water in the early hours of the morning so as to cut down on evaporation and to avoid scalding the grass with water which has been warmed in the sun. It is equally important to understand the drying time. When the soil remains wet for a prolonged period, there are chances of latent diseases.
2. Mowing : Cutting the grass might sound like an ideal thing to do but it is not likely to survive in the summer heat. Grass health will begin in the roots and if the blades are cut extremely short, the grass will not be able to soak in the sun or draw excess moisture from the ground. Hence, it is ideal to mow the lawn at least once every other week. Additionally, do not cut more than one third of the grass at the time of every mow. Ensure that the mower blades are sharp because chipped blades are likely to pull grass instead of cutting it off.
3. Fertilization : A perfect tool that can help enhance lawn health if applied in the right manner, fertilizers are very crucial for a lawn. Like watering or mowing, too much fertilizer can damage your plants. It is used to add nutrients and to balance the natural acid in soil, thus making the grass highly fertile. In case of an over application of fertilizers, it could upset the balance and it could leave your grass looking burnt and could eventually kill it.
4. Misidentification of problems : Healthy lawns are well watered and fertilized so as to keep the pests away. Pests include various weeds and bugs. Identifying the types of pests which impact the lawn can be really difficult as symptoms could be similar to another. When you are able to identify the bug, you will be able to treat it in the most appropriate manner. Misidentification of lawn problems can result in mistreating them and eventually ruining your lawn.
5. Mistreatment of problems : Mistreating problems can be highly ineffective. After you have identified an issue with regard to your lawn, you will be able to choose from a number of treatment options. If you choose a wrong option, it will only increase the issue and could kill your grass. Now even if the lawn survives, there is already enough waste of money and time on it. If you identify the issue and know the right treatment, you need to be careful when applying the pesticides. Excess amount of the same will not lead to great success. Whenever you are treating lawn problems, seek the assistance of a professional with an experience in the area. This will ensure that you do not end up doing any damage to your lawn.
You also need to choose the right lawn products to use while looking after your lawn. Never be too harsh on the grass and consider environmental factors when mowing and watering. Avoiding these common mistakes will help save time, effort and money and you will be able to ensure that your lawn looks great and healthy. In no time, it will turn into the favorite spot in your house for your friends and family.