It's easy to spend a lot of money on grass and still not have the lawn of your dreams. But if you follow these steps, you'll move closer to your goal and won't spend a lot of money.
Step one: Have your mower professionally sharpened twice a year or whenever you see nicks in the blade. Sharpen when you see dry, stringy tops on grass you just mowed yesterday.
Step two: Mow in the morning or in the evening and mow back to three-inch high grass when blades reach 4.5 inches. Measure it. Three-inch grass will have a better root system and look thicker.
Step three: Water well about once a week. Less water is needed in very humid weather. Try not to walk on freshly watered grass — it compacts the soil.
Step four: Make spot repairs. Find a place in your yard to grow grass that can be cut out to fill bare spots. Then:
* Take up a few inches of grass on either side of damaged turf.
* Make sure the soil underneath is not compacted. Agronomists at Purdue University say the ground should be workable down to three inches.
* Mix the soil with compost and water it.
* Cut a patch of sod, leaving no more than 3/4-inch of soil below the grass, and fit the new piece into place.
If you are repairing a wider area, stagger the ends from row to row. Don't kneel on the new sod. After sod is laid, go over the area with a lawn roller.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
