Green Lawns

Feeding the lawn encourages it to grow, which then requires more mowing. While this might appear contradictory to trying to save time and effort, it is actually better in the longer term because it cuts down on the growth of weeds, which in turn would take longer to remove and would need attending to relatively frequently.

Basic Techniques

The usual techniques to help maintain the health of a lawn are:

• maintaining healthy soil by removing weeds, making sure the soil itself is very well-watered
• scarifying the surface by raking it energetically with a narrow-tined rake, taking care not to be too vigorous in order not to weaken the roots of the grass
• aerating the soil using a garden fork
• maintaining a strong root system by feeding

Beyond this, additional methods should be employed. It is worth noting that complicated shapes of lawns can create edges that are difficult to keep healthy. In spring, seeding and lawn fertilizing with “high-nitrogen” fertilizer, greens the lawn surface up. The lawn fertilizer should be washed into the roots to avoid burning the grass. This is best done when rain is forecast, thereby saving on time and effort.

Grass clippings can also be left on the lawn for a period in spring to help improve the lawn by leaching some of the nutrients back into the surface. After early summer, grass grows more slowly, so the cut of the lawn mower should be higher to maintain a green lawn. Only a high cut is required if at all during winter, to help maintain a healthy green lawn.

Watering

Grass is kept green principally by ensuring that the lawn obtains enough water. If this is not always going to be possible, create a lawn of a tougher grass which needs less water, such as a bent or a fescue which spreads through rhizomes and will be a little more self-sufficient though still requiring some watering.

Watering a lawn is best done in the evening, though early morning can sometimes be a satisfactory alternative. The emphasis should be on thoroughly soaking the soil rather than simply moistening the grass and the upper surface which tends to loosen the rooting system. It also lowers the growth rate and reduces the strength of the grass itself. Dead grass should be raked out of the lawn at every opportunity, but care should be exercised, especially during dry periods, to avoid uprooting weaker roots of the otherwise healthy parts of the lawn.

In summer, grass can be kept green by mowing as frequently as weekly but letting each cut be higher than for less frequent mowing. A difference of just half an inch makes the greener, longer grass have more visual impact. Mowing too short weakens the grass roots and makes it much easier for weeds to grow, particularly moss and daisies. Mowing at the right length on a more frequent basis while the grass is growing encourages its roots to spread. Effectively, the spread of weeds is being competed against by the grass both above and below the surface. Cutting the grass more frequently actually causes it to thicken up and maintain the required green lawn effect.