| What is the proper steps to a lush, weed free lawn. Last year my lawn was prone to dandelions and some other weeds consistently growing. What should I do to start properly caring for my lawn, and is there a proper way to mow? I live in Norristown PA. |
| Good lawn care includes regular feeding, watering and mowing. A thick, healthy lawn will crowd out most weeds so here's how to get the upper hand: Turfgrass needs to be watered once or twice a week, depending upon weather. Deep soakings are preferable to daily sprinklings. Plan on applying one inch of water per week to your lawn. You can measure how much water your sprinklers put out by setting some empty cat food or tuna cans on the lawn and running the sprinklers. Start with running them for 15 mintues and then checking to see how much water has collected in the can. Your goal is a half inch if you water twice a week or one inch if you water once a week. The time it takes to deliver the proper amount of water is the length of time you should run your sprinklers. If water begins to run off the lawn before you get the required amount of water in the cans, plan on running for a while, turning the water off to allow it to soak in, then turning the water back on until the sprinklers have run for the correct amount of time. You can use a Turf Builder weed and feed product if you have weeds in your lawn now, or you can simply dig the weeds up and reseed any bare areas. Plan on feeding your lawn in April, June, September and late November or early December. Use turf builder with weed control if you still have broadleaf weeds in your lawn in mid-summer. Mow as often as necessary to keep your lawn at 1 1/2 to 2 inches in height. The general rule of thumb is to remove no more than one third of the grass blade when you mow. So, mow when it is 3 inches high and take off no more than one inch of grass. Best wishes with your lawn! |
