Chances are the first thing visitors to your home notice when they come into your yard is your lawn. Whether you are hoping to make a great first impression, you want to increase curb appeal, or it's important to you to have a nice-looking yard, the first place you should start is your lawn. Here are three easy and inexpensive ways to improve the look of your lawn.
1. Cut Your Grass to the Appropriate Height
When you mow your lawn, chances are you don't give much thought to what height you should leave it. All you know is that it needs to be cut, so you simply set your mower to the lowest or highest height and mow it down. However, cutting your grass to the appropriate height can help it to grow healthy and strong.
Knowing what kind of grass you have will help you determine at what height your grass should be mowed. Here are some examples:
- Kentucky Bluegrass - 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches
- Tall Fescue - 1.5 to 3 inches
- Centipede grass - 1 to 2 inches
Besides cutting your grass to the appropriate height, you should ensure the blades on your lawn mower are always sharp so that you can effectively cut your grass.
2. Aerate Your Lawn
It can be all too easy to forget about the soil that's hiding underneath your grass. Just because you can't see it, however, doesn't mean it's not important. In fact, taking care of your soil plays a crucial role when it comes to lawn care.
When you perforate the soil with small holes, you are allowing essential water, air, and nutrients to penetrate the roots of the grass. This is what it means to aerate your lawn. Doing so will loosen the compacted soil and help the roots grow deep into the ground so that it makes your grass greener and stronger.
3. Add Compost to Your Soil
Adding compost to your soil will keep your grass nice and green. The compost can either come from your grass clippings after mowing, or it can even be waste from your kitchen. Besides greening up your grass, adding compost to your soil can also:
- Help to slowly release nutrients and stimulate root growth
- Balance the pH levels in most types of soil
- Attracts worms and other beneficial insects and organisms
When you make aerating your lawn, cutting your grass to the appropriate height, and adding compost to your lawn care routine, you will have a beautiful and luscious-looking lawn.
