9 Simple Steps for a Greener Lawn
You know the saying: “The grass is greener on the other side.” Well, if you’re feeling like that’s true for you and that no matter how hard you’ve tried, your grass is full of weeds, yellow, or worst of all, bare, we can help.
We’ve got all the tools you need to take you from the bald yard to the green gem of the neighborhood. Follow these nine simple steps, and your lawn will be thriving again in no time!
Everything You Need to Know About Grass
Before we dive into the simple steps to make your grass greener, let’s start at the very beginning—learning about the chemistry of grass. Grass grows from a seed, containing a root, crown (where the leaves sprout from), and leaf. About 70% of the plant is made up of water, with carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous also present.
Grass is incredibly durable but also can be easily neglected. While grass is organic and can care for itself after hardship or abuse, you can also speed up its repair. Incorporate these nine steps into your landscape lawn care plan to restore your grass’s health and vitality.
9 Simple Steps for a Greener Lawn
- Get to know your grass
- Test your soil
- Fertilize your lawn
- Stay on top of weeds
- Use grass seed
- Water your grass regularly
- Aerate your lawn when needed
- Maintain your mower
- Trim trees to encourage more sunlight
1. Get to Know Your Grass
Before you can make your grass greener, you’ve got to know what you’re working with! Not all grass is the same, nor can it all be treated the same. Learn what’s growing in your lawn as well as what grows best where you live (you’ll find cooler-season grasses in the northern U.S. states and warmer-season grasses in the south), and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy creating that perfect, greener lawn.
2. Test Your Soil
Your soil’s nutrition is important—it is vital to your green lawn’s success. It’s necessary to perform a complete soil test early on to learn more about your lawn’s specific soil needs and determine what you need to do for greener grass. (Luckily for you, Rocky Mountain BioAg® also offers a soil test interpretation to ensure you understand the results.)
3. Fertilize Your Lawn
Based on your soil test results, you may need to add materials, like organic fertilizer or mineral soil amendments, to help your lawn flourish. When choosing a lawn fertilizer, it’s important to understand your soil’s deficiencies to know which nutrients to supplement for a greener lawn.
All fertilizer is made up of the same three basic components that work together for the overall health of the plant:
- Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is the key component for a plant’s stem and leaf growth, especially for new lawns.
- Phosphorous (P): Phosphorous works hard under the soil. It is essential for developing grass’ strong leaves above ground and its root structure below.
- Potassium (K): Potassium acts like the legs of the fertilizer, supporting strong, healthy root formation.
The numbers you find on the fertilizer label correspond to the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium found within the mixture. Your soil test will help you understand what your soil needs to grow greener grass.
4. Stay on Top of Weeds
As your lawn’s growing season continues, stay on top of weeds and crabgrass that compete with healthy grass. For a greener lawn, get rid of lawn weeds early.
If weeds have started to take over, here are three potential solutions for greener grass:
- Pull the weeds by hand or with a garden spade
- Apply an organic fertilizer that includes an herbicide
- Spot-treat weeds with an organic weed killer
5. Use Grass Seed
Grass seed is, quite simply, the seed from which new grass germinates. Use it to patch in bare spots or to help grow a whole new section of grass.
You can also overseed the grass seed over your existing lawn to help cultivate greener grass. (Some lawn care experts recommend overseeding with an opposite type of grass—so a cool-season grass if you live in a warmer environment with a warm-season grass in your lawn—so you always have some grass growing.)
Also, don’t sleep on the trend of growing a microclover lawn! The ground cover helps prevent weeds and stops erosion, leading to a greener lawn you’ll love. No matter which grass seed you choose, fertilize and water the seed after application for best results.
6. Water Your Grass Regularly
No living thing survives without water, and that’s especially true of grass. If you want a greener lawn, you’ve got to water regularly.
Your grass needs about an inch of water every week, so if it’s not raining enough, set up a sprinkler. For greener grass, water early in the day—just like humans, grass benefits greatly from an early drink of water. Also, the heat of the day will evaporate the water and stress your lawn if you opt for the afternoon.
7. Aerate Your Lawn When Needed
One of the biggest detriments to greener grass is compact soil—a natural consequence of harsh weather, as well as being a plant that gets trampled day in and day out. This makes it hard for your grass to take in air, nutrients, and water, all of which it needs to thrive.
Cultivate a greener lawn by aerating your soil when the season is right. For cool-season grasses, aerate in the early spring and early fall. For warm-season grasses, aerate in the late spring or early summer for best results.
8. Maintain Your Mower
Your mower is an essential component of a healthy lawn. If the mower’s blades are dull, the grass’s blades will look torn and might even develop white tips. If that’s the case, either sharpen or change out your mower blades to cultivate greener grass.
When trying to grow a greener lawn, grass height is also crucial. Cool-season grasses like a shorter height, while warm-season grasses need a taller one. Adjust your mower accordingly for the best results.
9. Trim Trees to Encourage More Sunlight
Aside from water and nutrients, what does your green lawn need to thrive? Sunlight, of course! Shade can be the natural enemy of greener grass, so keep your trees trimmed to allow more sunshine in.
By following all of these steps, you’ll create and maintain greener grass. Better yet, your healthy, thriving, greener lawn will be the envy of the entire neighborhood!
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