Establishing an appealing and healthy lawn can be challenging. However, with the right skills and understanding, your lawn can be a valuable part of your home's curb appeal and value. Thankfully, help is available, especially if you do not know where to begin. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when maintaining your lawn.
Underwatering or Overwatering
Most people know that your lawn will require watering to grow and thrive. Unfortunately, you probably do not know how much water it really needs. Underwatering and overwatering can actually be problematic depending on your lawn and local climate.
Fescue and other cool-season grasses require more water than warm-season lawns, so knowing what type of grass you have is key. Fescue thrives in cooler weather conditions and shady environments. Therefore, if you have a sunny yard or are experiencing a great deal of heat, your fescue grass will require more water. Bermuda grass does not require as much water because it is heat and drought resistant.
On the other hand, watering too much will lead to puddling, which can discolor and even kill your lawn. Set your sprinklers on a timer to avoid overwatering.
Mowing the Lawn Too Low
Mowing your grass is a chore a lot of people dread. Because it does require time and energy, you may think that mowing the grass as low as possible is best to reduce your mowing frequency. Again, this is a mistake that is causing more harm than good to your lawn.
It is important to note that cutting your grass too short can kill the lawn by placing the grass and underlying soil at risk of bacteria and pests.
Also, remember that cutting the grass blades will stimulate new growth, too. You may think your constant mowing or cutting the lawn so short will reduce mowing frequency, but you may end up needing to mow it even more.
Mowing with Dull Blades
In addition to improper watering or mowing the lawn too short, mowing the lawn with dull blades is also a mistake you need to avoid.
Dull blades will not cut the grass evenly, leading to uneven mowing patterns that affect the look of your lawn. Also, if the blades are rusty or contaminated with mold, bacteria, or fungus, you could infect the grass, eventually killing your entire lawn.
Be sure to have your mowing blades inspected, cleaned, sharpened, or even replaced regularly. If you're unsure you can handle the care of your lawn, hire a company like Esposito's Landscaping & Lawn Care to take care of it for you.