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Steps to take & mistakes to avoid.(Your best lawn ever)
Lush, weed-free lawns needn't involve hours of work. A few simple mowing, watering, and fertilizing steps from the lawn experts at CONSUMER REPORTS' 175,000-square-foot Florida test site can get you the verdant field of green you want without all the hassle and elbow grease. Among the most crucial steps to a great-looking lawn are making sure you have the right grass for your area and mowing off only enough to groom it without damaging it. Here are all four critical lawn-care steps you should take right now and six common mistakes to avoid:
1 GROW THE RIGHT GRASS FOR YOUR AREA The right grass forms a dense turf that's better able to resist pests and weeds, and requires less watering and fertilizing. The wrong grass often sickens and dies, despite hours of hard work. Besides trimming water bills, lower-maintenance, drought-tolerant grasses also save resources where water is scarce.
CR's advice: Find the right grass for your property by checking the grass zone map below. Then consider reseeding your lawn with one of the appropriate types if your current lawn is fragile and hard to maintain. Also consider ground covers or mixed plantings of native or drought-tolerant plants if water shortages are common in your area.
2 CUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT It's often tempting to slice off too much lawn at a time, especially if you just returned from vacation and missed a week of mowing. But doing so weakens your lawn by removing too much of the lawn's leaf surface, which feeds it.
CR's advice: Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade's height at once. That may mean mowing northern lawns every five days in spring and fall, and southern lawns just as often in late spring, when both types of lawn grow fastest.
3 FERTILIZE LAWNS AT THE RIGHT TIME OF YEAR Poor timing with fertilizer can make any lawn more susceptible to disease instead of feeding and fortifying it.
CR's advice: Fertilize northern lawns primarily in fall and southern lawns primarily in spring to sustain vigorous growth.
- Selecting the right grass is key to keeping lawns green.
- Magazine article from: Landscape & Irrigation Roche, Jerry April 1, 2000 700+ words
...provide a very high quality lawn, but such lawns usually require above...becomes one of the two worst lawn weeds. Tall fescue blades...taller than the rest of the lawn. Bentgrass, commonly...for high-maintenance lawns where the price of care...
- Tips to find the right grass for your yard.
- Newspaper article from: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK) April 8, 2006 700+ words
Byline: Megan Miers Apr. 8--What type of grass works best in your yard? Some things to consider include the local climate, soil type and levels of sun or shade. Many varieties of grass are available and choosing the right type for your yard can be confusing. Turf grass is typically classified into
- Stronger than a mighty oak: if you wanted a door made from a material stronger...
- Magazine article from: Doors and Hardware Madden, Jess February 1, 2006 700+ words
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE IS A GRASS out there that is stronger than oak--it's bamboo. We're all familiar with it as the preferred food of pandas everywhere. But few are probably aware that it is a grass and fewer still that it could be harvested and used in the same capacity as wood. [ILLUSTRATION
- Top 5 Drought Protection Tips for Summer Lawns.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire May 22, 2008 700+ words
...sessions. To see if the lawn is receiving enough moisture...s the first sign a lawn is in dire need of water...Mowing is healthy for lawns and trims away the oldest...to 2.5 inches tall. Lawn Design: To conserve...a garden. Plant the Right Grass: Grasses with substantial...
- Greener lawn care.
- Newspaper article from: Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL) June 27, 2007 700+ words
...Leaving clippings on the lawn returns the nitrogen they...soil, opening up the whole lawn community to water and needed oxygen. Sow the right grass. Perennial ryegrass and fescues...Rosenberg overseeds her lawn once a year, in early fall...
- Turf Wars.(lawn care and maintenance)
- Magazine article from: Popular Mechanics PROVEY, JOE ROBINSON, KRIS April 1, 2001 700+ words
...clippings and even your lawn mower. They can survive...that make up your lawn and the environment...Practices To keep your lawn from becoming a host, choose the right grass for a given location...start. Well-aerated lawns with good drainage...
- Consumer Reports Helps Consumers Get Their 'Best Lawn Ever'; Latest Report...
- News wire article from: AScribe Business & Economics News Service April 10, 2006 700+ words
...want to get their lawns and yards in tip...features its annual lawn-care report complete...produce the best lawn ever; ratings for...mulch. Tips for Lawn-owners On Getting...Green: 1. Grow the right grass so it will resist...once) 3. Fertilize lawns at the right time...
- A Lawn Competition With a Twist - Whose Is the Worst? Briggs & Stratton to...
- Press release article from: PR Newswire March 16, 2004 700+ words
...with how to get their unruly lawns in shape for the spring and...accepting nominees for the lawn most in need of a makeover through its Problem Lawn Makeover contest. (Logo...will transform the winner's lawn into the envy of all passersby...