Natural Green Lawn

One of the most important things you can do for your lawn in Spring and early summer is keep it cut consistently. Yeah, you know that don’t you? But are you doing it? Let me emphasize why you CANNOT afford to skip even one cutting during these crucial months.

Lawn Stress will soon be at a maximum. Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes heat, drought and insect pressure. The spring time, however, is when your lawn really improves in overall health.

Remember, in the fall, the root system is expanded (very important) but it is the spring time when the top growth of the lawn is apparent. This top growth creates more leaf surface area which in turn allows the lawn to grab more sunlight and produce more energy through the process of photosynthesis. That’s a lot of info to swallow, but trust me, you gotta let the lawn catch that spring sunlight so it can save up energy for the summer to come! If you cut consistently you won’t stress it out or stunt the growth patterns.

If you don’t cut and mow consistently (at least once per week) then you will add stress to the lawn at a time when it is still recovering from winter. Basically what happens when you miss a mowing is you have to chop more than 1/3 of the blades off of the grass plants. This leads to a literal shock to the lawn, stopping it from growing properly. Even if you were to raise your mower blade all the way to the top setting, you will still be taking too much leaf surface in a single mowing.

The other problem with stressing the lawn from inconsistent mowing is it allows disease to infiltrate the grass plant. Even the best mowers with the sharpest blades will knick and split grass blades that are longer and tougher from prolonged growth. These open areas on the plant allow disease pathogens easy access.

The last piece of the puzzle here is to make sure you vary your mowing pattern. We don’t want to “train” the grass to lay over in any one single direction. We want it to stand up tall to absorb maximum sunlight all season long.

I hope you guys have figured out by now that our main goal in having a natural green lawn is to have a thick lawn. That is because a thick turf structure will pretty much resist anything that attacks it – including weeds, insects, disease/fungus and weather conditions.

Now, I know what you are thinking “Yeah, but that takes a lot of work and time to get my lawn so thick that it can resist weeds and such.”

And you’d be right to some extent, but the truth is that it’s not really THAT much work. I mean, seriously guys, how much time do you really spend in your lawn anyway? No matter what you do, you have to cut it every week right? But if you cut it the way I tell you to, you can work to get it thicker anyway.

Cut Tall – Yes, Cut Tall

So tip #1 in getting your lawn thicker: Cut tall all year and mulch the clippings. And when I say “cut tall” I mean 3.5 or 4″ tall. Put that mower all the way to the top. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the look. And mulch those clippings so you return natural nutrients to the soil.

Feed The Soil – Feed The Lawn

Fertilizer is not lawn food. I know that I say “feed your lawn” but that is really a generic reference. In reality, fertilizer puts nutrients into the soil that support the growth of the lawn. When we use natural/organic fertilizers, we are actually building the soil first, and in turn, strengthening the lawn.

The healthier the soil, the thicker the lawn – simple.

This is why I recommend fertilizing with Milorganite and Ringer lawn fertilizers, as well as mulching lawn clippings. If you need an initial boost for our lawn, you can follow the next tip. (get my lawn care book too).

Learn To Grow Grass Seed

Learn To Grow Grass Seed

If you are making the commitment to have a natural lawn, then you also need to learn to grow grass seed. We want to get the lawn thicker and adding fresh grass seed every year is a necessity. You want to add in the seed after you perform our next step…

Aerate In Spring And Fall

Aeration is the process whereby a machine is taken across he lawn and plugs are pulled up and deposited on top. Aerating does quite a few things including: breaking down thatch, relieving compaction in the soil, increasing soil bio activity and helping air, water and nutrients get into the root zone. You can rent an aerator or hire out this task but you gotta do it in SPRING and in the FALL without FAIL!

These are the basics. I know you think this is a lot, but really, it’s about 15 hours a year (not including the mowing). And trust me, it’s worth it to spend 15 hours each year performing these simple tasks. The results will come slowly over time, but your patience and persistence will pay off.