How to Maintain Healthy Grass All Year Round

If you’ve been experiencing dry, brown patches in your lawn you may be wondering what you can do to achieve the green grass of your dreams. Year-round green grass is not common, and a lawn that loses its luster in the winter is not a sign of unhealthy grass. Most types of grass experience a cold-season dormancy, and if your lawn looks brown during the winter this is probably the reason. If your lawn is lacking green grass even in warmer months, however, you may need to take steps remedy the problem.

Being knowledgeable about the most common problems that keep homeowners from seeing the green grass they strive for is the best way to combat these signs from appearing in your own lawn. Reseeding, fertilizing, performing pH tests and following a regular irrigation schedule are all common approaches to turn a dying yard around.

Balance your soil’s pH

A pH imbalance in your soil is one of the most common problems that homeowner’s face. This can lead to many problems in your lawn, including brown spots or an inability to keep grass and ornamentals healthy despite other good lawn keeping practices. Most plants are more successful in soil that is slightly acidic, a soil with high alkalinity could be the source of your problems.

Various types of pH testing kits are available in the gardening section of most home improvement stores. These kits are usually extremely easy to use and many will provide you with results in as little as sixty seconds. If your soil reading determines that your soil has high levels of alkalinity or acidity you can correct this by applying various types of lawn treatments. Lime and ash treatments are the two most common ways of reducing a soils acidic level, while peat moss, pine needles and other organic matter like leaves can reduce the soil’s alkaline level.

Reseed

If your lawn is looking patchy it may be time to reseed. To reseed your lawn you must first remove any debris from your lawn and trim your grass to a length of one half to three fourths of an inch high. You then need to aerate the soil in your yard, there are many commercial tools available for this process, this will allow for better air and water flow. These tools range greatly in price depending on your aeration needs.

Once you’ve prepared your lawn you are ready to reseed. You may want to apply seeds to the entire lawn if you’re seeing more brown spots than green grass in your yard. For just small patches that need fixing, you may just be in need of a grass repair kit. These kits combine grass seed, fertilizer and sand or mulch. Spread your repair kit or seeds evenly throughout the parts of your lawn requiring attention and then rake over them to ensure that the seeds are evenly distributed throughout the soil. Cover these sections with a layer of straw to prevent the seeds from washing away during rain or irrigation.

Fertilize

Regular fertilization is one of the most important parts of successful grass upkeep. Develop a fertilization schedule for your lawn and do your best to follow it year after year. The only time you’ll want to deviate from this schedule is when a pH test indicates that other steps should be taken to get the ideal soil for green grass.

Irrigate

Some parts of the country see enough rainfall that it is rarely necessary to manually water your lawn. In other areas, especially those that commonly experience drought, you may need to exclusively water your own soil. Selecting a type of grass seed that grows best under the rainfall conditions experienced in your area will keep the amount of manual irrigation that must be performed to a minimum.