Do you want your yard to look its best, no matter the season? If so, then this blog post is for you! We’ll provide tips and tricks for garden maintenance that will help you keep your yard looking beautiful year-round. Read on to learn more about how to take care of your garden and make it the envy of the neighborhood!
Seeding the Entire Lawn
Seeding the entire lawn is an important step for creating a lush and healthy lawn. Before seeding, it’s important to loosen up the soil with a steel rake and incorporate some compost into the area. Then, sprinkle grass seed on the spot and use a roller to pack down the soil. After this step is complete, it’s time to start watering and fertilizing your lawn. Consistent, year-round watering helps maintain healthy soil and turf, so aim to water once per week in winter and two to three times per week in summer. Applying fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium for proper fall nutrients will also help keep weeds in check. Finally, don’t forget to keep your lawn mowed at the right time and height. Following these tips will ensure your yard looks beautiful year-round.
Mulch Beds as Needed
Mulch beds are an essential part of keeping a garden or lawn looking beautiful year-round. About three inches of mulch is recommended for beds, and Becker recommends mulching twice a year. This will help to fend off weeds, as some gardeners prefer to apply a pre-emergent—an herbicide to prevent weeds—to the soil before mulching. Mulch can also make a landscape pop with color and create an appealing, polished look. For mature trees, a small mulch bed around the tree can add visual interest to your lawn and make mowing easier. A newly planted tree will need extra attention, so lay cardboard down around the tree and cover with a layer of mulch. Over time, it will break down while suppressing weed growth and you won’t have to worry about over or underwatering. Mulching your garden is an important step in keeping your yard looking beautiful year-round.
Fertilize Your Lawn
After you’ve seeded the entire lawn and mulched beds as needed, it’s time to fertilize your lawn. Fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium is essential for proper fall nutrients. For cool-season grass, fall provides ideal growing conditions for strong root growth. Scotts® Turf Builder® is a great choice for giving your grass a head start. Additionally, it’s important to remember not to mow too short and to allow mow clippings to return to the lawn – this helps keep the soil nutrients balanced. To ensure your lawn looks healthy and green from January to December, you should also skip spring fertilization and devote some of your lawn to wildflowers. Finally, don’t forget to clean up your yard by raking up fallen leaves and debris.
Apply Pre-Emergent Herbicide
Pre-emergent herbicides are an important part of keeping your lawn looking beautiful year-round. Applying pre-emergent herbicides can help prevent weed roots, shoots, or both from establishing in your lawn. To get the best results, pre-emergent should be applied twice a year when soil temperatures are around 55 degrees. When planting grass plugs, it is recommended to apply it immediately after planting. However, caution must be taken when applying pre-emergent as it can affect desirable plants, including turf. If you see weeds emerging in the spring, you can spray a post-emergent herbicide. Following the steps above and combining them with seeding the entire lawn, mulching beds as needed, fertilizing your lawn, not mowing too short, allowing mow clippings to return to the lawn, skipping spring fertilization, not overwatering or underwatering, devoting some of your lawn to wildflowers and cleaning up your yard will help you keep your yard looking beautiful year-round.
Don’t Mow Too Short
Maintaining a healthy lawn starts with proper mowing. It’s important to keep the grass at the right length. Mowing too short can cause the grass to become weak and susceptible to weeds, while mowing too long can lead to clumping and scalping. In late fall, adjust your lawn mower setting so that it’s approximately 1.5-2 inches shorter than you had it during the growing season. In summer, raise the cutting height of your mower to leave the lawn longer – around 5-10 cm – as this will make it less prone to weed takeover. If your grass has gotten really long, don’t try to cut it to its ideal length in one mowing; adhere to the rule and just mow it to its optimal length over several weeks. Aligning your mowing schedule with other lawn maintenance tasks such as fertilizing and seeding can help you keep your yard looking beautiful year-round.
Allow Mow Clippings to Return to the Lawn
Returning mow clippings to the lawn is a great way to keep your yard looking beautiful year-round. Grass clippings are an incredible source of organic matter for your garden and lawn, and as they decompose, they will act as a natural fertilizer, adding nutrients back into the soil to feed the plants. You can bag the clippings or recycle them by returning them to the lawn. As a general rule, grass should not be cut too short – mow often during the growing season and allow the clippings to spread in spring or fall around your plants. This will shade the soil and protect it from summer’s heat while also providing much needed moisture and nutrients to your lawn.
Skip Spring Fertilization
While spring fertilization can be beneficial to your lawn, it is important to skip it for the first season. Allowing your lawn to grow naturally in its first season will help establish strong roots and create a healthier lawn in the long run. Instead of fertilizing, focus on providing your lawn with a balanced watering schedule and mowing at the appropriate height. If you do decide to fertilize later on, make sure to use a spring-formulated fertilizer and follow the instructions carefully. Additionally, applying pre-emergent herbicides can help prevent unwanted grasses and weeds before they germinate. Following these tips will ensure that your lawn is healthy and beautiful year-round.
Don’t Over or Underwater
Watering your lawn is an important part of keeping it healthy and looking great year-round, but it’s important to be careful not to over or underwater. Too much water can lead to standing water and an increase in weeds, while too little can result in dry patches and brown spots. The key is to find the perfect balance for your climate and soil type. If you live in a consistently dry climate, water deeply once a week for the best results. Additionally, you should adjust your watering schedule based on the amount of rainfall you receive each week. By taking the time to monitor your watering schedule closely, you can help ensure that your lawn will look its best all year long.
Devote Some of Your Lawn to Wildflowers
One great way to add natural beauty and color to your yard is to devote a portion of your lawn to wildflowers. They may look natural and untamed, but both new and established perennial meadows need specifically timed maintenance to create a balanced mix of grasses, weeds, and wildflowers. Instead of mowing weekly, shoot for monthly instead, and allow plants to pop up naturally. You could also overseed your lawn with a wildflower mix or plant individual species in bare spots as they appear. In future years, mow until early April but then leave any further mowing until late in the flowering season, to give the wildflowers the chance to set seed. With proper care and routine maintenance such as mulching beds as needed, skipping spring fertilization and allowing mow clippings to return to the lawn, your yard will remain beautiful year-round.
Clean Up Your Yard
As part of your garden maintenance routine, it’s important to keep your yard looking neat and tidy. Raking up leaves, dethatching dead grass, and cleaning up around plants will help prevent weed growth and soil erosion. Be sure to give perennials and cool-weather annuals a trim in the fall as well. Additionally, mowing the lawn on a high setting can help keep it looking neat. Finally, don’t forget to add mulch around plants in the fall, as this helps reduce weed growth and retain moisture. With these tips, you can keep your yard looking beautiful year-round!
Conclusion
By following the tips outlined in this blog, you can keep your garden looking beautiful and well-maintained all year round. Regular tasks like dethatching, mowing to the correct height, fertilizing, watering, and controlling weeds will help ensure your yard remains lush and healthy. Additionally, taking the time to define borders between flower beds and lawns can give your garden a polished look. With a little bit of effort, you can enjoy your outdoor living space for years to come.