How to Maintain Your Lawn

During spring our lawn begins to start receiving more sunshine due to the longer days which results in the grass growing more quickly than in previous months. Taking care of the lawn at this time determines how good the lawn will look throughout the year. Due to the fast growth patterns, the lawn needs regular moss-killing, weeding, top-dressing, watering, and mowing to maintain it. This is also the time to overseed in areas that are sparsely covered by grass.

Before beginning any lawn maintenance it is important to do a bit of preparation that will lead to better results. Two of the tasks we must do before we start include:

Lawn clean-up – It is very important to first clean the lawn of any, leaves, twigs, and other debris that may have accumulated and covered the lawn during the previous months. The clean-up has to be done before any other activity on the lawn. 

Servicing the equipment – Mower blades have to be sharp to ensure that the grass cuts are clean. Blunt blades will lead to uneven edges and a discolored lawn that is prone to pathogens. It also a good idea to get your lawnmower serviced to ensure smooth operation.

After the preparation the following maintenance should be performed:

Mowing

Mowing is one of the most important tasks to be done during spring; this is because the grass grows faster than ever and without regular mowing, it could become tuff. The lawnmower height will depend on the type of mower but generally should be set to around a third of the grass height at the beginning of spring. It is also important to reduce the mowing height as we go further into spring but mow the lawn more frequently to get the desired final result.

Feeding

As with any living thing, growing goes along with feeding. Spring is the most important time to apply fertilizer to the grass so that it gets the right nutrients in the right quantity. It is only through feeding that you can get a greener, healthier and thicker lawn that will be appealing throughout the year.

Moss Killing

Moss grows as a result of poor drainage or poor soil conditions and can really mess up the lawn. You can use non-chemical or chemical ways to control moss. The common non-chemical way is scarification. This simply means performing vigorous raking on the lawn. There is also a non-chemical fertilizer called MO-Bacter that can be used to kill the moss while feeding the grass at the same time.

Over-seeding

This is the next thing to do after removing moss or weeds. 

· First prepare the sparse surface with a rake or fork to break it up and to get finer soil.

· Secondly plant the lawn seed sparingly making sure to add more in sparsely populated areas.

· Use a rake to mix the seed and the soil properly and just in case of birds disrupt the area, put a net to protect that part of the lawn.

Topdressing

This is necessary when your lawn has become uneven and has some low areas. Depending on the level of uniformity on the ground, use 1-3 kg per meter of top dressing and more on lower surfaces. Adding lawn seed to the top dressing will also help in filling the thin areas.

Watering

Towards the end of spring, the lawn may become a bit dry and brown but will recover once the rains are back, which is usually not too far away. To prevent this you can use a water sprinkler or spray hose just before the end of spring as this will help keep your grass green and healthy. 

The effective way to maintain the health of the grass is to water it when the soil gets dry. When dealing with a hard surface use a garden fork to make holes that will help in airing the ground and facilitate water penetration.

It is advisable to water the lawn every once a week or 10 days and as you water, make sure the water level is around 10 cm but doesn’t flood the lawn. At the end of spring, a square meter of the lawn will require at least 20 liters once a week to grow and stay healthy.