How to Make Lawn Green – Green Garden Tribe

Do you face some severe lawn problems and want them to disappear? Problems like thin lawns, excessive weeds, and lesser green grass are the most common lawn problems that many people encounter. The ideal lawn should be thick and filled with healthy green grass. Achieving this kind of lawn setup is not as hard as you may think it is. Transforming your lawn into a thicker and healthier lawn is the goal of this article. By the end of this article, you should understand how to eradicate all of your lawn problems. The best part is that you will have a thicker and healthier lawn that gets more beautiful as each day passes. How To Make Your Lawn Green and Thicker First of all, the steps on making your lawn greener and thicker are different. But that is not a problem because this article will give you all the information to perfectly transform your lawn. The secret on how to make your lawn greener and thicker are encapsulated in the following steps: Steps to get a thicker lawn: 1. Improve soil The first thing you should do to improve your soil is to test it. Soil testing is essential because soil varies; that is why you need to know the soil Ph. From there, you can start improving your lawn by balancing the soil pH level to fully maximize the soil's optimal results. In other words, before improving the soil, you need to know what is required to improve. Testing your soil reveals the soil's pH level and other underlying problems that can potentially hinder you in achieving thicker lawns. Do not take soil testing for granted, as it can help you cure soil problems without any guesswork and save some time and money. Indeed, improving your soil and soil testing requires a lot of effort, but more significant steps yield more remarkable outcomes. If you are new to this task, you can ask for some guidance from your local extension office to help you test your soil and the things you need to improve it. Be sure enough to take notes so that next time you can perform the task all by yourself. 2. Over-seeding From the term itself, over-seeding is putting more grass seeds on your lawn. This method helps the existing grass get thicker as the new seeds fill in the gaps, making it thick. This is one of the secrets to make a beautiful lawn. Over-seeding periodically maintains that thicker and lusher feel in your lawn. The best time to over-seed is during fall and spring or late spring. Take note, different varieties of grass require other nourishments. Always consider your location and soil condition when choosing grass to grow over your lawn. For example, shade-tolerant grass is the best option when growing grass in the shade, or less sensitive grass is the best option if your soil has a high pH level. 3. Fertilize the grass To boost the grass's growth and make them thick, you need to provide them the essential nutrients. Lawn grasses are like any other plant that needs nutrients to grow. Applying fertilizer to lawn grasses is, therefore, necessary to optimize them. The thing is, lawn grasses need more fertilizer compared to other plants because the fertilizers are swept away during rainfall or irrigation. This means that regular fertilization should be observed when working with lawn grass to provide the nutrients they need to grow thicker and healthier. Also, newly scattered grass seed needs starter fertilizer, unlike existing grass which requires another type of fertilizer. Starter fertilizer works to promote root growth for speedy grass growth. Fertilizers for the existing lawn grasses help by providing nitrogen to keep them healthy. Steps to maintain your lawn thick: How to Irrigate Your Lawn 4. Irrigate Water is the lifeline of every plant, including grasses. Irrigate your lawn grass but do not oversaturate them. Remember, germinating grass seeds need a constant water supply until they grow enough to fill the existing grass gaps. Once you noticed that all the grass seeds had grown ideally, you can now water them weekly for about an inch. It does not matter whether the water came from rainfall or your irrigation system, just as long as the lawn grass is irrigated. After rainfall, do not irrigate them and thus overwatering, which can lead to root decay. 5. Mow carefully The best time to know when to mow your lawn is by looking at the height of the grass. You do not have to mow them weekly because some grasses do not grow enough height the next week after you mow and cause the lawn grasses to thin. Instead, take the height of the grass and serve it as your indicator of whether to mow or not. Mow is done to keep your lawn grasses at an even height making a fantastic landscape. Only mow them when they have grown tall enough after your last mow. Another essential thing to observe is the blade of the mower. Make sure that your mower gets enough maintenance to ensure that the blade's edges are sharp. This is to prevent the grass from tearing due to dull mower blades. 6. Remove weeds Weeds steal the nutrients from the sun and water that lawn grasses are supposed to take. They compete with your lawn grasses preventing the grass from reaching its potential growth. Therefore, removing the weeds eliminate the competition leaving the grass to grow thick and healthy. Apply pre-emergent herbicide to eliminate weeds in your lawn. But remember not to use them when over-seeding because it prevents the growing seeds from germinating properly. When the grass seeds have grown, only then can you apply pre-emergent herbicide to remove the weeds. Steps to grow greener grass: 7. Water deeply Deep irrigation helps the grassroots to grow deep. Grassroots need to grow deeper to get all the nutrients in deep soil. Hence, water the grass about 4 to 6 inches deep in the soil. Watering the lawn grass for 30 minutes is a rough estimate that the water has penetrated 4 to 6 inches deep in the soil. However, this depends on the weather and soil condition. After rainfall, the soil is partly wet, and watering them for 30 minutes might oversaturate them. The best way to irrigate them is to set a timer and check the soil by prying out a wedge to see how deep the water has penetrated. Once it reaches 4 to 6 inches deep, you will be able to know the exact length of time to water your lawn. 8. Attack the weeds As mentioned earlier, the presence of weeds competes with the lawn grass. Removing the weeds makes the grass healthy and makes a greener appearance. 9. Always fertilize during fall Grass sleep during the winter season, and even though they become dormant by that time, grassroots are still soaking up nutrients to reserve energy for the next season. Thus, it is imperative to feed them by putting in fertilizer before the winter season. 10. Always maintain a balanced pH level Grass grows happily in soil with 6 to 7.2 pH levels, which keeps them healthy and green. Acidic soil or too much alkaline is not an ideal condition for the grass to thrive. This is why soil testing is essential to know when to improve your soil, and the grass will benefit once the soil is improved. 11. Use a broadcast spreader A broadcast spreader is used for over-seeding. It has a better way of distributing the grass evenly throughout the lawn. The grass will grow thick and appear to be greener. 12. Best Lawn Grass to Grow in Your Lawn Since there are different varieties of grasses, it is crucial to be familiar with some of them to increase your chances of choosing the suitable grass for you. Warm Season Grasses These types of grass are heat and drought-tolerant. They become dormant during the winter months. Some popular grass examples are: • Bahia Grass • Bermuda Grass • Buffalo Grass • Centipede Grass • St. Augustine Grass • Zoysia Grass Cool Season Grasses These types of plants are the best option in areas with extreme climate fluctuations. They grow actively during spring and fall while going dormant during intense heat periods. Some famous plant examples include: • Annual Ryegrass • Perennial Ryegrass • Bentgrass • Fine Fescue • Kentucky Bluegrass • Tall Fescue Best Fertilizers to Use in Lawn Grasses Another important thing you should know is the best fertilizers to use when working with lawn grasses. This will help you make clear choices when buying fertilizers. The following examples are the top five recommended fertilizers to use in lawn grasses. 1. Scotts Green Max Fertilizer 2. Miracle-Gro Lawn Food 3. Safer Brand 9333 Ringer Fertilizer 4. Milorganite 0636 Fertilizer 5. Scotts Turf Builder Conclusion Now, it is safe to assume that you are already equipped with enough knowledge to fix your lawn. The process of making your lawn thick and green is not easy but not too complicated as well. But that is not something to be discouraged about, for it is better to witness thick and healthy lawn grass full of life rather than the opposite. Written by Jenny and Edited by Patricia Godwin, Editor at Large