A lush green lawn is always the result of careful maintenance. A wide range of measures interlocks harmoniously in order to optimally care for the noble greenery. Here are the 10 best tips on how to properly care for a lawn.
Tip 1: Proper lawn mowing needs to be learned – this is how it works
One of the pillars of professional lawn care is mowing. A beautiful lawn is based on 2 key factors: regularity and cutting height. If you coordinate these two aspects, a green lawn will develop by itself. This is what matters:
- Mow the lawn for the first time in the spring from a height of 8 cm (3 inches)
- Mow the lawn every 7-10 days during the growing season
- Do not mower the green when it is wet or in the blazing midday sun
- In normal weather, do not fall below a cutting height of 3-4 cm (1.5)
- Stop mowing after the first frost
A green lawn requires a minimum height of 5 cm (2 inches) in order to adequately shade the root area when it is dry. In midsummer, the green should therefore thrive a little higher.
Tip 2: Simply comb out what doesn’t belong in it
At the end of winter, a dense carpet of moss and weeds prevent a beautiful lawn from developing. In order to properly care for the green, the quite radical technique of scarifying is used. Special devices cut the grass surface 3-10 millimeters deep with knives to comb out thatch and weeds. Here’s how to do it:
- Scarify the lawn immediately after the first mowing
- Work the weed-infested area lengthwise and crosswise
- Thoroughly sweep away and dispose of all moss and weeds
At the end of the summer, when a green lawn has turned into a moss-covered tundra, experienced hobby gardeners bring out the scarifier again. In August/September they work on the stressed green again as part of the autumn maintenance program.
Tip 3: How to aerate the lawn like a pro
On a lawn that is used intensively, the turf becomes increasingly dense over time. In this case, scarifying alone is not enough to maintain the green in the best possible way.
Now it’s time for the aerators. These devices use hollow nails to punch up to 10 cm (4 inches) deep into the ground to give the harassed grassroots more air. How to do it right:
- Mow the lawn short and scarify thoroughly
- Then work the turf with a manual or mechanical aerator
- Drill holes in the compacted soil 15-20 cm ( 5-7 inches) apart to aerate it
The cones of earth that have been pushed out must not be trampled down again, but go on the compost.
Tip 4: Important equipment for manual and mechanical lawn care
In order for a grassy area to develop into a beautiful lawn, you cannot do without suitable equipment. While simple manual tools make the work easier for the small green, hobby gardeners prefer to work on a lawn of 500 square meters (5300 square feet) or more with mechanical support. The following list gives an overview of which devices professionally care for your lawn.
| Lawn care equipment | mechanical devices | Manual devices |
|---|---|---|
| cut the lawn | Petrol, electric mowers, robotic mowers | reel mower |
| comb out moss | scarifier | scarifying rake |
| remove weeds | scarifier | weeder, hands |
| aerate the lawn | aerator | Lawn woodpecker, nailed sandals, digging fork |
| Fertilize | spreader | hand spreader |
| liming | lime truck | gloved hands |
| Water | Automatic lawn sprinkler | watering can, water hose |
Tip 5: This is how sand makes the lawn green
If you want to properly care for a thatched and aerated green area so that it develops into a lush green lawn, add further care measures. In order to protect the turf from compaction in the long term, create effective drainage with fine quartz sand. How to care for your lawn in an exemplary manner:
- Sand the combed and aerated lawn
- Washed quartz sand with a fine grain size of 0/2 is suitable
- Scatter no more than half a bucket of sand per square meter
- Finally, water the lawn extensively
Work the sanded surface with a broom until all holes are filled and small bumps are evened out. You care for the green like an English lawn professional if you apply a top dressing of quartz sand, peat, and fertilizer instead of plain sand.
After this premium treatment, a green lawn thrives all the more magnificently.
Tip 6: Lime correctly – carefully increase the pH value
A beautiful lawn will not thrive in overly acidic soil. Every 2 to 3 years, experienced hobby gardeners, therefore, commission a soil analysis or test the pH value in the lawn themselves. If the result falls below a value of 5.5, there is an immediate need for action. Targeted liming raises the value to the ideal level of 6-7. That is how it goes:
- Lime the lawn in spring, then scarify and aerate
- Spread the garden lime in the recommended dosage with the spreader
- Ideally, use a mild algae lime, vital lime, or rock powder
- Unless it rains, water the limed lawn extensively
If the pH value is within an acceptable range, we recommend maintenance liming every 2 to 3 years.
In this way, you take care of the lawn prophylactically before moss and weeds can spread in the acidic soil. Lime the green area in a small dosage of 125 to 160 grams per square meter( 10.7 square feet), resulting in a moss-free, green lawn.
Tip 7: It’s better to use balanced organic fertilizers
If you want to properly care for your green carpet, you should not do without repeated fertilization. A beautiful lawn develops in harmony with nature if you give preference to organic or organo-mineral preparations. How to fertilize with expertise:
- Fertilize lawns with normal stress in March/April and September/October
- Treat heavily used lawns with additional fertilizer in June/July
- Administer a mineral-organic long-term fertilizer or fertilize with compost or plant manure
- Ideally, fertilize after working the lawn and then water thoroughly
While the lawn primarily requires nitrogen and phosphorus in spring and summer, the autumn nutrient supply serves to prepare for frosty temperatures with potassium.
In the mineral-organic area, patent potash comes into consideration here. If you fertilize purely ecologically, comfrey manure provides everything you need to properly care for the lawn before winter.
Tip 8: Water dry lawns – it’s not just the amount that matters
If you take care of your lawn in a balanced way using fertilizers, sand, and lime, extensive watering rounds off the care. In addition, a green lawn is at a loss if you don’t water it properly when it’s dry.
Here it is important to apply the right amount of water. A beautiful lawn does not want to die of thirst or be drowned. The following rules of thumb may serve as a guide:
- Water the lawn in summer drought
- Never water the green in direct sunlight
- Ideally water in the early morning or late evening
- Start watering at the first signs of wilting
The amount of water depends on the soil conditions. On loose, sandy soil, water with 10-15 liters( 4-5 gallons), on loamy-clay soil with 15-20 liters ( 4-5 gallons) of water per square meter (10.7 square feet). You’ll take care of your lawn expertly if you water deeply 1-2 times a week instead of watering a small amount every day.
Tip 9: Mulch and mow in one go
Modern hobby gardeners combine lawn mowing and fertilizing in a single operation. This is very easy to do with a mulching mower. These devices shred the clippings into tiny particles to organically mulch the greenery.
This saves time because there is no longer a grass catcher box to empty. In addition, there is no need for additional fertilizing, which is good for both your wallet and nature.
Tip 10: Skilful reseeding irons out small defects
You can take care of a sparse, patchy lawn with a reseeding in no time at all to a dense, green carpet. As long as there is still a green lawn left, there is no need for costly new planting thanks to professional overseeding. How to do it:
- Mow the lawn in spring or autumn and scarify in places or over the entire area
- Level out any unevenness with a mix of compost and sand
- Spread lawn seed for reseeding by hand or with a spreader
Finally, sift the light germs thinly with sand, roll the overseeded surface smooth, and water extensively.
