Use These 5 Tips to Get a Healthy Green Lawn

You want a lush, green lawn and stunning landscaping that will enhance your home’s curb appeal, but how do you get it? 

You can get a healthy green lawn by learning how to take care of your lawn properly. In fact, when coming up with a beautiful landscape design, it all starts with healthy grass.

1. Use Proper Soil Amendments at Installation

Amendments alter the soil by balancing the pH in order to make growing grass easier. They change the soil to allow the roots to penetrate the soil better and to improve water filtration. They also change the soil so that it can take advantage of the naturally available nutrients as well as those provided by fertilizer.

Amendments should be mixed into the soil before installing sod or planting grass seed. Do not simply layer the amendments on top of the soil; they are not meant to be a substitute for fertilizer but rather a companion for them. Common amendments are organic matter, lime, elemental sulfur, ammonium sulfate, and gypsum.

2. Keep a Consistent Watering Schedule

During your lawn’s first year, you need a consistent watering schedule to keep the topsoil moist but not waterlogged. 

The top layer needs to stay moist until the seeds germinate and reach a height of 3 inches. Water twice a day to keep the seeds from drying out. After the grass is established, you can cut back to a twice-a-week watering schedule. 

During the winter, you can water less frequently but allow the soil to get soaked for 6 to 8 inches down. A home automated sprinkler system can help you maintain a consistent schedule.

3. Perform Five Fertilizer Applications Per Year

With routine fertilizer applications, your lawn will look better and last longer. Soil loses many of its natural nutrients over time. Fertilizer adds nutrients to help the grass grow deeper and become thicker, lusher, and greener. 

Your local Colorado Springs landscaping company can recommend the best fertilizer for your lawn’s individual needs. 

We, at Foothills Landscaping, recommend that our customers fertilize twice in the spring, once during the summer, and twice in the fall.

4. Perform Spring and Fall Aerations

Compacted soil makes a big difference in the health and appearance of your lawn. Aeration makes holes that reach down into the soil. These holes reduce the compaction, and they allow water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots of the grass. Grass in compacted soil will struggle. This is especially true during times of low rainfall or extreme heat.

5. Mow When the Grass Needs Mowing

You need to mow when the grass needs it, not when your schedule permits. 

The faster your grass grows, the more frequently you need to mow. The rule of thumb is to mow no more than one-third of the overall length in one mowing. Cutting it too short causes as much harm as letting it grow too long. Throughout most of the growing season, you should only have to mow once a week. You will mow more frequently during the spring and less often at the end of the growing season.

Contact us if you need more tips for landscape design in Colorado Springs.