If you want healthy grass, it starts with mowing, but there’s a lot more work involved. From fertilization to leaf removal, dethatching, regular mowing, and pest and weed control, these 12 lawn care tasks can transform your average lawn into the best-looking lawn on the block.
12 ways to get and maintain a great lawn
Beyond mowing and watering, proper lawn care includes practices you may not know. We’ve gathered them all in one place.
1. Test the soil
To grow a healthy lawn, you must have healthy soil. To check your soil’s condition, conduct a soil test. You can acquire a testing kit from a garden store or contact your agricultural extension office for professional testing services. A lab soil test is typically more accurate than a testing kit.
The soil test results will include your soil’s pH and nutrient levels.
- pH levels: Soil pH indicates how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Optimal pH levels for most grass types range from 6.0 to 7.0. If your soil’s pH falls outside this range, add lime to increase pH for acidic soil or sulfur to decrease pH for alkaline soil.
- Nutrient levels: A soil test also will show nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels (N-P-K). These macronutrients are crucial for healthy grass: Nitrogen encourages leafy, green growth, phosphorus supports roots and flowers, and potassium improves resistance to disease and stress.
Use the test results to apply the right fertilizers or soil amendments.
2. Remove leaves
Remove leaves from your lawn to maintain its vigor. Why?
- Leaves harbor pests and diseases in winter, causing turf problems in spring.
- Leaves block sunlight, which is essential for healthy growth.
- Leaves retain moisture and cause mold and mildew.
3. Spread compost
Add compost to your lawn once or twice a year to provide a nutrient boost. Evenly spread about ¼ to ½ inches of compost across the lawn. For every 25 square feet of lawn, add 1 cubic foot of compost. Composting breaks down organic matter and promotes healthy plants and grass.
4. Mow regularly
Mowing your lawn keeps your grass tidy and makes it less inviting to pests and diseases.
- Keep your lawn mower blades sharp. Dull mower blades will rip your grass rather than cut it cleanly.
- Match the cutting height to your grass type, even if it looks different from your neighbor’s. This guide can help:
| Grass name | Grass type | Recommended mowing height |
| Bahiagrass | Warm season | 2-3 inches |
| Bermudagrass | Warm season | 0.5-1.5 inches |
| Buffalograss | Warm season | 1.5-3 inches |
| Centipedegrass | Warm season | 1-2 inches |
| St. Augustinegrass | Warm season | 2.5-4 inches |
| Zoysiagrass | Warm season | 0.5-2 inches |
| Fine fescue | Cool season | 1.5-2.5 inches |
| Tall fescue | Cool season | 2-3.5 inches |
| Kentucky bluegrass | Cool season | 1.5-2.5 inches |
| Perennial ryegrass | Cool season | 1.5-2.5 inches |
- Follow the one-third rule: Never cut more than one-third of the blade’s length. For example, if the grass is 3 inches tall, don’t cut more than 1 inch. Mowing taller promotes strong roots and helps shade out weeds. Mowing too low (scalping) stresses the lawn and blocks photosynthesis (the process plants use to create energy).
5. Leave grass clippings on the lawn
Grass clippings act as organic mulch. Leave them on the lawn to:
- Minimize evaporation
- Smother weeds
- Feed the soil with nutrients
6. Dethatch
Occasionally, your lawn needs thatch removed. Thatch is the layer of dead and living organic matter that accumulates between the soil’s surface and your grass blades.
A thatch layer under half an inch can mulch the grass and improve your lawn.
Dethatch your lawn using a power rake, verticutter, or dethatcher during your lawn’s active growing season to improve its recovery rate. Dethatch a cool-season yard in the fall and a warm-season yard in late spring through early summer.
7. Aerate the soil
Harsh weather, foot traffic, and other activities compact the soil, making it hard for roots to access water, air, and nutrients. Try lawn aeration to fix this.
There are three primary types of aeration.
Aerate cool-season turf in the fall, and warm-season grass in the spring.
When it comes to soil types, some need to be aerated more often:
- Clay soil: Every fall
- Sandy and loamy soils: Every one to three years
- Lawns with lots of foot traffic: Every six to 12 months
8. Control weeds
Left unchecked, weeds can overtake your yard and crowd out your turfgrass.
There are four ways to control weeds in your lawn:
- Post-emergent chemical treatments: Target emerging weeds, disrupting growth and spread.
- Pre-emergent chemical treatments: Kill weeds before germination, preventing establishment.
- Natural remedies: Organic or homemade treatments you can make with household items. These include white (5% acetic acid) or horticultural vinegar (20% or 30% acetic acid), salt, corn gluten meal, soap solution, lemon juice, and essential oils.
- Hand pulling: Do this weekly or bi-weekly, removing young weeds before they bloom or grow deep roots. Use a screwdriver or dandelion fork to remove the entire weed, including the roots.
If you’re not seeing results with hand pulling, try chemical or natural remedies. And do it sooner than later.
9. Control pests
If you diligently water, aerate, and fertilize your lawn, but your grass still looks sparse and patchy, pests might be feeding on your turf’s roots.
Since these insects can leave similar damage, you can easily miscategorize them. To help, we’ve compiled a list of common lawn pests.
To eliminate and prevent pests, follow these practices:
- Identify the pest(s) correctly.
- Use natural pest predators, such as lacewings and ladybugs. You can purchase them online or at local garden centers.
- If that fails, use a chemical pesticide formulated for your pest type.
- Plant herbs and flowers that keep bugs away in the yard, use Diatomaceous earth, or make your own pest-repellent mixture with vinegar, essential oils, vegetable oil, or liquid soap.
10. Overseed if needed
To maintain a dense, carpeted lawn, you should know how to overseed your lawn. When you overseed, you spread new grass seed over your existing lawn, replacing dwindling grass with new growth.
Overseed your cool-season grass in early fall, at least 45 days before the first frost. Overseed your warm-season lawn in the spring through early summer.
Aerate the soil and remove thatch before overseeding to help your grass take root better.
11. Fertilize the grass
To green up your lawn, follow the recommended lawn fertilizer regime on your soil test report. Fertilize your turfgrass during its active growing season.
Choose between slow-release and quick-release fertilizers.
Likewise, choose between organic and synthetic fertilizers.
Your choices will depend on your personal lawn care goals, soil health, and environmental considerations.
12. Water correctly
If you want a healthy lawn, water it at the right time of day for the right amount of time.
Water your lawn between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. to avoid evaporation and wind. Don’t water in the evening, as the moist environment that remains overnight can attract pests and diseases. If you have to water later in the day, do so at around 6 p.m. and use a drip irrigation system. It targets the grassroots directly without touching the foliage.
To promote deep roots, water less often but for longer. Frequent short watering creates shallow, weak roots. Most grass cultivars need 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week. Depending on the weather, aim for three 20- to 30-minute watering sessions weekly.
Hire a pro for the ultimate lawn treatment
Your lawn deserves five-star treatment. But lawn care is no picnic; maintaining a pristine lawn takes time, effort, and patience.
You could always DIY. Another way is to let Lawn Love connect you to a local lawn care pro handle the landscaping, weed control, and soil amendments so you can unwind and do what matters most.
Sources
Main Photo Credit: Unsplash
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