12 Dec 5 Steps to a Greener Lawn

Follow These Lawn Care Steps for a Greener Lawn

Water Deeply and Less Often

If you are watering often and for short periods of time, the grass’ roots have no reason to grow deeper down into the soil. Those shallow roots can’t reach deep soil nutrients and don’t have the ability to supply much needed water when you skip a watering. Instead, water deep enough to penetrate the soil 4 to 6 inches. Here’s a little test you can use for a few watering’s. You’ll get a sense of just how long and often you should be watering. Of course, this depends entirely on weather conditions and your soil type.

Water for 30 minutes. When done plunge a spade into the soil and pry out a chunk to see how far the water has penetrated. Try to keep in the soil intact when removing so you can get a good idea exactly how far down the water penetrated. Four to 6 inches deep is ideal. Not deep enough? Then you need to water longer. After doing this a couple of times you’ll know how long you should be watering your lawn for. Once you know how long to water, you can set your sprinkler system times accordingly or use a water timer to set the duration if using a hose.

Heavy clay type soils should be watered less frequently and less heavily but for longer durations of time. You want to water lightly as the clay-based soil most frequently found in Omaha is not as permeable as other soil types and is slow to absorb the water.

Combat Broadleaf Weeds in Mild Weather

You need to neutralize weeds when they are growing. This is because the herbicide is absorbed through the leaves of the weed and then travel throughout the rest of the plant. When the weather outside is too cool, the weed is not growing and the herbicide can’t be absorbed. Too hot outside and the herbicide will certainly stress the grass. The product directions will give you the best temperature range to use the product. Make sure to apply herbicides when rain is not in the forecast, a soaking will only rinse off the herbicide before it has a chance to be absorbed.

Learn how to neutralize broadleaf weeds the eco-friendly way.

Neutralize Crabgrass Before it has a Chance to Spread

Crabgrass preventers, also known as pre-emergent, do one thing and one thing only. They prevent crabgrass, and any other form of seed, from sprouting. Once crabgrass germinates, it’s too late. Here’s the key to preventing crabgrass. Applying pre-emergent between the second and the third mowing’s greatly increases its effectiveness. Because crabgrass starts sprouting a few weeks after the grass greens up, that’s generally the perfect time. This of course is considering you start mowing early enough in the Spring.   

Don’t Skip the Fall Fertilizer Application

Before the lawn goes dormant for the winter, it should be fed well. Even after the grass appears to go dormant, the roots are still absorbing nutrients and storing energy for the upcoming winter and the growing season ahead. Believe it or not but it is much more important to fertilize in the fall than it is in the spring, when most people do it. Like watering, this is one of the most beneficial lawn care services you can do for your lawn.

Test the Soils pH Level

Lawns grow best when they’re growing in the “pH happy zone.” Omaha grasses like a pH level between 6 and 7.2. If the soil is either too acidic or too alkaline, the yard can’t thrive even if you do everything else right. So here is what you do, collect one tablespoon-size soil sample a couple of inches under the turf in three different areas in your lawn and take the three samples in for testing. Some garden centers offer the service or you can search the Internet for “soil testing service” to find a place you can send it into.

You’re after a pH between 6 and 7.2. If it’s too high, you’ll want to treat the lawn with iron sulfate or sulfur, too low and you will want to use pelletized limestone. Whoever does the testing will tell you what and how much to use to fix the pH level. Applying the treatment is as easy as walking around the yard with a spreader.