As in any association, marital or otherwise, a person often has strengths that the other person lacks and vice versa. In my case, the lawn is not my thing, but it is my partner’s passion and I must say that I appreciate the splendid green expanse, provided that it is he who maintains it. Having said that, over the years through osmosis, I have collected some tips for keeping the lawn looking fabulous.
Know how to mow!
The first thing I was educated on is the importance of proper mowing.
Set up your mower to remove only the top third of the grass. Because? Because leaving the lawn longer allows the grass to focus energy on the growth of deep roots. Scalping the grass forces him to use energy to produce blades. Deep roots make the grass healthier and also more resistant to drought.
Also, when mowing, never mow when wet. This can introduce fungal diseases onto the grass and isn’t even particularly safe for you. Wet grass is slippery grass.
Vary your pattern when mowing. This will prevent the weed from “memorizing” your pattern and keeping it straight and tall. Just as many of us love to have a mowing pattern, many of us also love to mow according to a schedule, but resist the urge. Our schedule isn’t always when the grass needs to be mowed. It grows faster in cool spring than in hot summer and needs more frequent mowing.
Finally, always mow with a sharp blade and let those grass clippings be reabsorbed into the soil. Make sure to mow often enough not to leave huge lumps behind you.
Other tips for lawn care
Of course, a healthy lawn needs a little more help than just mowing. We straw the lawn in spring (well, not us but my better half) and we air. Even the herb buff is in charge of feeding, which is carried out twice a year, once in spring with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer and again in autumn with a food richer in potassium and phosphate.
In addition to the edge of the lawn (I’m good at it and I don’t scalp), I also take care of the yellow pee spots of fur babies. After a winter peeing in the courtyard, an aerial view would show dense green grass dotted with dead yellow craters. I use a manual cultivator to remove dead grass and rough the soil, scatter the grass seeds and then cover them with potting soil and water. It is not perfect but it does well enough to repair the appearance of the turf quickly and economically, especially if viewed from afar and not by a drone …