Source: wikiHow
Co-authored by wikiHow Staff |26 References
A perfectly green and healthy lawn is every homeowner’s dream. Whether you’re outside barbecuing for the family, or soaking in the sunlight, a luscious lawn is a perfect complement to the ideal summer fantasy. By maintaining proper lawn care tips and clearing out debris that is suffocating your turf, you can bring your ideal lawn one step closer to reality.
- 1 Remove thatch using a dethatching tool. Thick layers of thatch can fill with water and deprive your lawn of vital oxygen. Using a powered rake or other dethatching tool, navigate your lawn as if you were mowing it by moving in parallel lines up and down the length of your property.[1]
- Thatch is composed of organic debris that has built up without having proper time to decompose. Be sure to regularly clear organic items such as leaves, stems and large patches of cut grass from your lawn to prevent build-up.[2]
- A little thatch can be beneficial to your lawn. A thin layer of no more than half an inch can keep substantial temperature changes from damaging your lawn. Furthermore, it adds stability to lawns that see a lot of foot traffic.[3]
- 2 Tear out weeds to give turf more access to important nutrients. While weeds can be an eyesore on an otherwise well-maintained lawn, they can also soak up the vital nutrients needed to properly flourish. Extensive patches of weeds can block sunlight and even soak up moisture, leaving your lawn weak and dehydrated.[4]
- Defense is the best offense when it comes to beating out weeds. Keep up basic maintenance such as watering and fertilizing properly. The turf will absorb its necessary water and nutrients, preventing weeds from getting what they need to grow.[5]
- Hand-weeding is the safest and most effective way to remove roots. Use a trowel or long spade and dig deep into the ground around the weed. Loosen the soil around it, and then carefully pull the weed up. Replace the soil that was removed and then re-seed the bare patch.[6]
- 3 Apply a preemergent herbicide to prevent further weed growth. While it will not kill weeds directly, herbicides that are applied at the beginning of a season can temper weed growth. Only use these herbicides on lawns that have been growing for longer than a year and have not been overseeded recently.[7]
- 4 Allow nutrients to sink in deeper by aerating your lawn. Aerators come in handheld devices, or in the form of large machines. They poke small holes into your lawn, allowing nutrients to permeate deeper into the turf. Follow the same path you did while dethatching.[8]
- If you’re using a spike aerator, you may have to go over the same area several times in order to make sure your holes are plentiful and penetrate deep enough into the soil.[9]
- Because young turf has not established a solid root system, do not aerate your lawn within a year of either planting a…
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