Dreams of a lush carpet of green grass encompassing your home’s exterior can easily be achieved with some basic research, the right tools and lawn care products, and a little elbow grease. The perfect outdoor rest and play area takes four basic lawn care steps: Mowing, watering, fertilizing and weeding.

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Mowing The right mowing techniques can make an ordinary lawn extraordinary. Of course, the opposite is true as well; poor techniques can permanently damage your lawn, usually when your mower is set too low. Grass will grow healthier when not cut to the quick, so keep it on a higher setting, cutting no more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade. It is better to mow more frequently (aim to mow once a week if possible) than to cut your grass too short. Generally, it is recommended that grass not be shorter than 11/2 to 2 inches depending on your grass type.

Also:

• A dull blade will shred your grass ends and make grass blades brown and unattractive. This makes it easier for grass disease to set in. Therefore, ensure your blades are sharp.
• Don’t mow your lawn immediately after it has been watered, when it’s dewy or after a rain. Like the dull lawn mower blade that shreds grass, wet mowed grass can also lead to discoloration and disease.
• In order to choose the right type of grass for your region, speak to a gardening specialist at your local garden center.

Fertilizer
The grass that carpets the exterior of the house is as important to some homeowners as the carpeting inside their homes. Therefore, it is to your benefit to invest in the right fertilizer, providing the appropriate “diet” for your grass type. With the correct choice of fertilizer, not only will you create a luxurious looking, bright green grass blade, but you will fight insects, wear and tear by pets and family, and poor weather conditions. For the best lawn care, talk to your local lawn care professional about the right type of fertilizer for your lawn as well as how often to fertilize.

Watering
Life in North America doesn’t necessitate as much watering as in other parts of the world, but when summer weather arrives, especially long stretches of hot, dry conditions, it’s good to have a lawn care watering plan in place.

Unfortunately most gardening enthusiasts, in their efforts to keep their lawns healthy, water their lawns too often, yet with too little water. Try to imitate nature by providing your lawn a slow, but thorough soak. Water early in the morning to avoid scorching the grass from the heat of the sun. Make sure your lawn is completely dry before re-watering. This may be when grass begins to wilt a little, coloring becomes less vibrant and footprints stay compressed in the grass.

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Weeding Two types of weeds show up in lawns; broadleaf weeds (like the dandelion) and grassy weeds (like crabgrass). There are a variety of natural and toxic herbicides on the market. Although the toxic herbicides are more immediate in their effectiveness, if you have children or pets, or if you are concerned about the environment, it is worth looking into weed control alternatives.

Many weeds can be cleared manually with a hand weeder, although you must make sure to extract the entire root of the weed, or it will grow back. The most successful way to achieve a weed free lawn is to have a well-fertilized lawn, with long grass blades. A thick carpet of grass leaves no room for the detested weeds to grow.

Lawn care does not have to be time consuming. By integrating these four basic steps as part of your active lawn care program, you can begin to enjoy a picture perfect lawn. Once you have your beautiful lawn in place, you can invest in some great lawn furniture and a barbeque and you will be primed for rest and recreation.