Who would not want to step out of the house and be greeted by a nicely done lawn, or come from work and find one? It is everyone’s desire to have a great lawn outside their home. But nevertheless, the challenge to plant and manage it well using the required best practices is still a problem many are yet to solve. Best management practices in lawn growing and keeping are present with us and are easy to follow, which if done well will yield the kind of results everyone has in mind. But which are they? Let us go through them one by one.

Good fertilizer practices

Before walking to the stores and buying a bag for use, find out the quality of your soil in terms of acidity, basicity and nutrient content. Finding a good extension officer to help you take samples and test them is also crucial. After you get the results, the officers will advise on the amount of ingredients your soil requires and which fertilizer will best provide them.

Applying the right amounts and avoiding fertilizer spills is also necessary. This ensures that your lawn is correctly fertilized and that the excesses may not cause abnormal growth or be taken by rain waters to nearby ponds leaving them with uncontrolled algae growth.

In addition, at least some 10cm strip should be left around water bodies to prevent runoffs from reaching the ponds; it is also advisable to keep fertilizers from paved surfaces. Such instances require using a deflector when applying to help keep the fertilizer in the grass, where it cannot be washed away.

Mowing properly

Mowing a lawn requires good attention so that we can also protect the grass as we mow. Different grass species require different mowing lengths. For instance, centipede grass requires a one to two-inch mowing height. Caution is key. A third of the leaf blade is sufficient to cut. For this to happen, sharp blades must always be used. Mowing more than that and maybe too low – scalping – may expose your lawn to stressed turfs, invasion of weed and insect or even disease. So mow the correct height

It is also best not to rake out grass clippings, the keep the mow humid, become nice compost which returns the nutrients back to the lawn. Rake out fallen acorns, sticks, papers and other matter that gives the mowed lawn a dirty look. Another thing to remember, mow when its dry. Mowing when its wet makes the blades fail to give a clean cut as the glass blades keep sliding away from the mower blades.

Irrigate properly

Most lawns get damaged by irrigation malpractices than by any other known problem. Over-irrigation will bring roots to the surface, make the lawn weak and susceptible to stress. Heavy clay soils need to be watered half their water requirement while sandy one three quarters of its requirement. Watering is best at sunshine to leave the blades dry out as opposed to evening. Watering in the evening will leave grass blades wet and disease can attack easily.

Let us have a weekly schedule for our lawns and follow best practices to keep the beauty of our lawns a lasting experience for all.…

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