Cultivating the Perfect Lawn: Web Tips and Tricks

Posted on May 14, 2011 by megan

When one envisions suburban harmony, the picture is not complete without an expanse of green grass. Getting the lawn and garden as bright as a lime is a war, but the lawn changes the appearance of the entire house. Even a tiny shack will look upscale if a pristine landscape design surrounds it.

Lawn Turf

If the expression “you reap what you sow” has any truth in it, an evenly distributed, well seeded plot of land can turn into a beautiful lawn, but the hardship comes in when trying the pick the perfect seeds and growing supplies for your project. To make this decision you need to weigh in the factors of Mother Nature in your area. What is the average rain fall in your area? Is your lawn exposed to directly sunlight or is it normally covered with shade? The home depot website provides a very useful table describing the different types of seed that work well in different climates.

There are two distinct types of grass seeds and the difference between the two is what kind of climate they grow well in. The first is warm season grass, its characteristics are drought resistanance and deep rootedness. The other is cold season grass which is shade resistant, meaning that it requires less exposure to the sun to grow at a healthy rate and and it is also resistant to wear, which is great if your kids and dogs constantly ravage your lawn.

Award-Winning Home in Santiago, Chile

After picking the seeds some other preparation is needed before you can plant them. It is necessary to smooth out the land and make sure that the soil is moist enough to promote germination but not too wet as to drown the seeds. To do this you first need to get rid the weeds in the area so they do not compete with your grass. Then rake the soil to promote airation and give the seeds some room to grow. To ensure the weeds do not grow back use some pesticides to clear the plot so as to give the fresh seedlings a clean and healthy home. Then cover the land with some fertilizer to promote a healthy and nutritious upbringing for your 1000 new friends. After planting the seeds evenly and going over them with a roller to get them under the cover of the soil you need to protect them. As if they were freshly hatched eggs you need to cover them with some material such as mulch, manure, compost, or my personal favorite, and most economical, straw to ensure they are safe from birds. Finally, the fresh seeds need nourishment and this comes in the form of water. Lightly water the seeds to avoid puddles, this is best done in a few rounds rather than all at once.

Jack Russell Terrier

As much as I love my canine friends they often make having a beautiful lawn a nightmare. When dogs urinate on grass the nitrates in their urine makes the grass grow unevenly and at many times not grow at all. That is why such spots have earned the nickname ‘dog spots’. One way to avoid these is to water your lawn after a dog urinates in it to dilute the concentrate of nitrates from just one spot and spread it out among a greater area.

Sod Furniture by Greg Tate

To accessorize your lovely lawn, grass furniture that blends into it is funky and fun. Think outside the box! The best looking houses are those with a whimsical flare.