The Grass is Always Greener

Rob and I came home from New York City three weeks ago and found that our lawn was completely brown.  It looked like it was finished.  However, my neighbour said that she had raked hers and it was green.  So, I retrieved our rake from the shed and raked our lawn, not once, but four times, in every direction.  Then, another neighbour gave me some leftover grass seed from her shed which I spread over the lawn.  Then I watered it for an hour straight (and every day since then).  I raked it again a few nights ago.  Believe it or not, very slowly the grass is sprouting again.  Here are ten tips on lawn care.

1.  Ditch the mower bag.  The cut grass sitting on your lawn serves as natural fertilizer.

2.  Make sure your lawn looks good from the inside as well as the outside of your house.

3.  Don't fill every inch of lawn with flowers and plants for it becomes a weeding nightmare.

4.  Red mulch contains arsenic and may contaminate the soil underneath it.

5.  In the fall, mow the leaves and let them sit on top of the grass; they act as deterrents to weeds.

6.  If you want to know the nutrient content of your soil, dig down six or seven inches, fill two small cups and mail them to a local agricultural agency.

7.  Plant clumps of the same species in odd numbers.

8.  Don't place your planting beds too close to the house.  Don't make them too narrow.

9.  Weeds just grow on top of weed fabric.

10.  Fertilizer contains 30% nitrogen, which is a high figure.  Use time-releasing. water insoluble nitrogen fertilizer twice a year on your lawn.

Source:  Reader's Digest (www.rd.com)

 

 

Photo courtesy www.eco-scape.ca.