For most homeowners, the picture of an ideal property is incomplete without a lush and green lawn. If you love your lawn and want to upgrade the look of your home, it is important to take proper maintenance of your lawn. Well, if it has problems, being the owner, it’s your responsibility to fix them up. So, if your lawn has yellow patches, lacklustre tones, and weedy corners, regular lawn care practices will barely help you out. Remember, lawn maintenance can be tricky at times and even experienced gardeners can struggle to keep it up. However, the good news is that with the help of a professional lawn care service, you can easily get your lawn repaired with ease.
So, if you have a damaged lawn, here’s a step-by-step guide to renovate it with professional help. A professionally manicured lawn not only looks beautiful and lush but also withstands threats from weather and pests.
- Identify the Problems
Before you jump into lawn repair, it is important for you to recognize the underlying problem. So, while dealing with a professional service, the first thing you must consider is to ask them to diagnose the problems. Once you determine the problem, fixing it becomes easy. This step is also very important as it not only saves your time and money but also helps you to avoid similar problems in the future.
- Give a Fresh Start
If more than half of your lawn is damaged, it is better to start again from the scratch. Here, a professional lawn care service can help you to start afresh by killing the remaining vegetation and existing grass with herbicides like glyphosate. However, never think of practicing such lawn repairing practices by yourself as it might damage other non-targeted plants and wildlife. When taken care of by an experienced professional, this step allows you to re-establish your lawn quickly.
- Identify the Grass Species
The most common grass types found in the United States are Bermuda, Fescue, and Zoysia. All of them have different characteristics, which makes it essential for you and your hired professional service to identify the species of grass in your lawn. Identification of grass species plays a very important role here because it makes the treatment process easy and effective. For example, Fescue grass tends to grow in shady areas where others might struggle to thrive. On the other hand, Bermuda grass types are hardy in nature and are mostly found in southern climates. This species can easily withstand hot climates and can survive only with a little amount of water. Zoysia grass is surprisingly diverse and most of them can tolerate cold conditions easily.
- Mow it Low
Once you have determined the problem and the grass type, and have applied the herbicide, wait for a couple of weeks and ask your lawn care professional to mow the lawn as short as they can. It is a crucial repairing step as it scalps the lawn well and prevents dead grass and plants to shade in your newly prepared lawn.
- Rake and Repeat
While renovating your lawn, ensure that the lawn care professional service gets you a power rake. Power raking is important as it removes excessive organic materials from your soil and helps it to breathe. Leaving a layer of thatch on the lawn also allows new grass to take root. Rake the soil until the amount of bare soil is equal to the dead grass stems. Once done, again spread a layer of organic thatch as compost over the soil for the best result.
- Go for Seeding
Done with your power raking? Wait for a week or two to make the soil ready for seeding. Once the soil is ready, spread the seed in the lawn uniformly. If you are spreading half of the seed in a south/north direction, make sure to spread the remaining in an east/west direction. Seeding in such a manner stops you from creating bare spots in your lawn. However, while sprigging, ensure to dig little holes and place the plants.
- Feed Water and Fertilizer
Now that you are done with seeding, it is important to keep the lawn moist for at least a week. However, once the grass starts growing, ensure not to overwater the lawn as it might rot the grassroots. Too dry or soggy makes it difficult for growing plants to survive. Once, the grass shoots are an inch tall, start fertilizing them to promote growth.
- Start Mowing Again
First mowing is very important for the growth of the grass. Thus, once the grass is about 3 inches tall, ask your lawn care professional to mow the lawn. Apart from growth, this step discourages weed growth and keep your lawn healthy.
Your lawn only needs a little love and care to grow beautiful. Thus, while renovating it, do not hesitate to hire your local lawn care service for professional help. A professional lawn care service can help you to upkeep your lawn and improve the curb appeal of your property.