Dream lawn: how to care for your lawn so that it will delight you all season long

A familiar picture: in the spring everything was green and pleasing to the eye, and by mid-summer the lawn had turned into a yellowed rag with bald patches.

And it seemed like he was doing everything right.

Watered.

Mowed.

Sometimes I even sprinkled fertilizer.

But the result is not the same.

The fact is that a beautiful lawn is not about «sow and forget.» Every little detail is important here: what equipment you use, what time of day you go out with the mower, how often you use the rake.

By the way, if you are just selecting equipment for your dacha, I advise you to look at the catalog at this link: lawn mowers with electric starter.

They start with one button, without pulling the cord and without the classic obscene greeting to neighbors in the early morning.

And now about the most important thing — what summer residents most often stumble on.

Contents

1. When to mow and why is it important at all
2. What does a lawn need besides mowing
3. Errors that are immediately visible
4. If you decide to take the matter seriously

When to mow and why is it important

Many people roll out the mower early in the morning, in the dew.

The logic is clear: while it’s cool, while you have the strength and mood.

But wet grass is the worst enemy of a smooth lawn.

The knives do not cut it, but crush it and tear it.

After such a mowing, the lawn looks like after a good fight.

The ideal time is late in the day, between five and six in the evening.

The grass is already dry, the sun is not shining, and the cuttings have time to dry before night and do not rot.

If the weather permits, of course.

And one more point that is often missed.

Cutting height.

It is strictly forbidden to shave the lawn at the roots.

Leave at least four to five centimeters.

Short grass fades faster in the sun, the roots are exposed, and weeds immediately crawl into these holes.

A slightly longer blade of grass, on the contrary, protects the soil from drying out and keeps the green color longer.

What does a lawn need besides mowing

This is where the fun begins.

A lawn is a living organism, and you can’t feed it with just a mower.

Here is a short list of what is usually forgotten:

• spring combing with a rake: after winter, felt from old leaves accumulates between the blades of grass, and if it is not removed, the roots suffocate;
• aeration: the soil becomes compacted from our own steps and watering, so once a season it must be pierced with an ordinary fork so that the air reaches the roots;
• fertilizing: nitrogen in early summer, potassium closer to autumn, without fanaticism;
• evening watering: during the day, the drops work like small lenses and leave burns on the blades of grass;
• overseeding in bald spots: a bare area will be overgrown with weeds faster than you even notice it.

It sounds like a lot of work, but in reality this entire cycle takes a couple of weekends over the summer.

Not every weekend.

Errors that are immediately visible

Stripes.

These beautiful striped lawns, like those in a stadium, are the result not of magical technology, but of the correct trajectory.

The mower needs to be driven in parallel passes with a slight overlap and change direction each time: today along, next time across, then diagonally.

If you walk back and forth along the same line, the grass will begin to lie in one direction, and bald spots will appear on turns.

Another classic problem is dull knives.

They need to be sharpened at least once a season, or better yet twice.

A dull knife does not cut the grass, but crushes it, and then the tips turn yellow.

If your lawn looks scorched within a day or two after mowing, it's almost certainly the blades.

And lastly.

Don't throw away your grass clippings every time.

A thin layer can be left directly on the lawn as mulch — it will quickly rot and feed the soil.

The main thing is that the layer is thin.

Otherwise, everything under it will smear, and instead of mulch you will end up with mush.

If you decide to take the matter seriously

A good lawn is not about a perfect English carpet in the first season.

It's about regularity.

Haircut once a week, fertilizing once a month, aeration once a season.

In a couple of years, the area will look so good that the neighbors will start asking for the recipe.

And with the right technique, even cutting a haircut ceases to be a pain.

This is perhaps the main thing that dacha experience teaches: half of the effort usually goes not into the work itself, but into struggling with the old tool.

Replace one thing and everything else will go like clockwork.

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