How to Keep Your Lawn Green

If you own a lawn, then you've probably wondered how to keep it lush and green. The fact is, however, keeping your lawn in tiptop shape is not as difficult as it might seem. All it takes is a little know how and routine care.

In order to keep your lawn green, you really need to focus on three major areas: watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Symptoms of inadequate water are easily seen: your grass slowly loses its bright green color and starts to fade to yellow. You may also notice wilting. If you walk across your lawn and your footprints remain in the grass without rebounding upright, then your lawn needs water.

Mowing falls into two categories: too infrequent and too short. Avoid letting grass grow tall and then removing more than 1/3 of the leaf blade. Mowing the grass extremely short can also cause damage by cutting into the crowns of the plants, producing irreparable damage. Make sure your mower blades are sharp and clean. Avoid cutting wet grass and raise the mower height a notch to keep your lawn full.

When it comes to those nasty unwelcome guests - pests and weeds, there is something you can do. Use fertilizer regularly. Before applying any fertilizer, however, determine the square footage of your lawn and identify your grass as either a cool or warm season type. Picking the right fertilizer will actually depend upon your soil's particular chemistry. You will use pre-emergents to prevent weeds from germinating, balanced fertilizers to deal with nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium elements, and weed and feed fertilizers to contain and eliminate weeds once they have begun. Many pests will also respond to these treatments, as long as they are performed on a routine basis.

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