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.
