Saturday, March 21, 2009

Establishing a Thick, Green Turf

By jason staton

If you want a green lawn, you can do it on your own by faithfully following some regular procedures. It is not as hard as you think and can be accomplished if you are devoted and persistent.

In the fall you should aerate your lawn. An aerator is a machine that pulls plugs out of your lawn and allows it to breathe while reducing its compaction. Grass needs loose soil to grow which will be accomplished using this practice.

In addition, applying limestone once a year to the soil will correct the soil acidity. Optimally, the soil acidity should be a 7.0 which is neutral and what grass needs to grow. This is easy to apply with a spreader and one bag should be put down per thousand square feet.

If you want a healthy lawn you will need to regularly mow it. Mow it once a week and never cut more than half its length at once. Keep your blades sharp so there is a clean cut and does not leave room for drought or insects.

Fertilizing your turf will keep it healthy. The best method is using a fertilizing program which will protect against insect damage and disease. These programs usually also protect against weed intrusion.

The fertilizers need to be put down at the right time to be effective. In general, the crabgrass pre-emergent fertilizer should be put down in early spring. The weed control plus fertilizer should be put down in the late spring, insect control mid summer, and winterizer fertilizer in the late fall.

Watering your grass is an obvious step to maintain a green lawn. Water is a necessity for any plant to grow and thrive, and grass is no exception. Make sure that if it is not regularly raining you are watering your lawn.

Although this article does not cover all the steps, it is a good basic maintenance program. If you follow all the steps above year after year, you will have a rich and healthy lawn. - 20767

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