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The lawn is often the homeowner’s pride if you are one of those lucky few who have enough space for a lawn, congrats!
Unfortunately, our busy lives may not leave us with enough time to take care of our yard regularly. As a result, many of us have unhealthy lawns that often don’t look great. On the other hand, many of us take care of our lawns, but it still appears to be damaged.
With a great lawn comes great responsibilities. As the owner of a home with a lawn, it is your responsibility (and probably passion too) to make your lawn great again.
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So, if you are looking to renovate your unhealthy or damaged yard, we’ve got the right steps for you to transform it into a beautiful and well-maintained lawn.
If you don’t have the time, energy, skills, or desire to take care of your lawn but still want lush green grass, consider hiring a professional lawn care service like TruGreen. And you might as well want tree service professionals to take care of your trees. Click here to know more.
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First, Find Out the Real Problem
Just like doctors diagnose your illness before giving you the treatment, you must determine what is wrong with your yard before you try to fix the yard. If you don’t know what is wrong, the time and effort you put behind fixing the lawn can be wasted.
There are quite a few reasons why your yard may be in bad condition. For example, if your lawn’s soil is not high in nutrients, it may not yield a good and consistent amount of grass. Similarly, if there are grubs in your lawn eating the roots of your grass, you have to get rid of those first.
Without knowing the problem, you won’t be able to come up with the right solution. Therefore, try to find out the real problem with your lawn before trying to renovate it.
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Start From Scratch
It is possible that most of your lawn is damaged and in dire need of help. In such a case, it is probably a good idea to start fresh from scratch rather than trying to “fix” the lawn.
To do so, you could use a herbicide that has glyphosate in it. Spray it around your yard properly. This will get rid of any existing grass or vegetation but will not harm the soil. As a result, you’ll soon be able to regrow the turf anew.
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Mow the Lown as Short as You Can
After you use the glyphosate herbicide, wait for two weeks and let the yard sit. Then, mow your lawn low and try to cut the turf as short as possible. This will ensure that erosion does not occur and prevents the dead vegetation from blocking sunlight for the new turf growing underneath.
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Power Rake & Compost
Next up, purchase or rent a power rake if you don’t have one. Power rakes may seem daunting, but they aren’t. Most of them are as easy to use like a lawnmower. Just be careful while handling the blades and learn how to adjust them before use properly.
Once you are comfortable using the power rake, use it to rake off the dead vegetation and other debris. The idea is to keep just a little layer of thatch. Next, you should put compost on the soil, but make sure that it’s not a very thick layer. Then, rake the ground again to ensure that the compost is mixing well with the soil.
Alternatively, you can use other types of rakes, but honestly, doing so can get very difficult and tiring. A power rake would simplify the process.
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Time To Put In The Plants
After raking, it is time to seed the lawn. You should check the package to understand how much of the seed to use. If you put too little, your lawn will be thin. Also, ensure that you are spreading the seeds evenly around your lawn.
As an alternative to seeding the lawn, you can plant plugs or sprigs. In that case, dig small holes and put the plugs in.
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Give The Lawn Enough Water
Before beginning this step, congratulations! You have completed the most difficult part, the planting. But now, it’s time for the part that requires patience and consistency, the maintenance.
To do so, you have to keep your newly refurbished lawn moist. Make sure that the soil is not dry during the first week after planting. This will help the vegetation to start growing. After that, you should continue to keep it moist but not too soggy. At this stage, watering twice a day for 5 minutes should be enough.
In any case, you must ensure that the watering is evenly applied. Otherwise, excess water in one spot can make it soggy and wash away the seeds, which will ruin all your hard work and cause bare spots. Just be consistent and water the lawn evenly.
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Fertilize The Lawn
A few weeks in, you’ll see that the grass has grown an inch or two, or sprigs are showing new shoots. When you see that, it’s time to apply fertilizer so that the vegetation can get enough nutrients to boost its growth.
Pro Tip: Don’t apply fertilizer before you notice the growth. Otherwise, the roots can die.
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Mow Your New Lawn!
Provided you take care of the grass as mentioned, it will grow fast. Around the 3-inch mark of new growth, you should mow your lawn to remove weeds and help your grass grow properly. It is suggested that you don’t cut any more than one-third of the grass’s length during mowing.
Pro Tip: Ensure you’re using sharp blades on the lawnmower for the first cutting. Dull blades can damage the vegetation in the initial phases of growth.
Final Thoughts
By following these eight steps, you can transform your unhealthy yard into a stretch of lush green lawn that will make your house look better. But be advised that you must continue maintaining your lawn routinely so that it does not go back to its “unhealthy” ways.
