Want Rich, Healthy Grass? Here’s How To Do It

Ever looked at the neighbours garden and wondered why the grass really is greener on the other side? Looking after your lawn may seem like the simplest thing in the world - after all, grass grows everywhere without much care, doesn’t it? In fact, a lot of grass care takes research and an understanding of your garden. Plus it helps to have tips, tricks and advice from people who have been there and done that before. In this guide, we’ll show you how to achieve rich and healthy grass in your garden this year.

Why Is Lawn Care So Important?

While well-grown, healthy and healthy grass looks great, this isn’t the only benefit it has for your garden. A good lawn is an indicator of a well-maintained garden. It helps to promote good air quality, can be used as a method of stress relief and can even help to reduce overall noise pollution in built-up areas. In addition, if you ever get around to putting your property up for sale, a well-maintained garden can add a potential 20% to the value. To get the very best from your grass, it will need all-year-round care - not just during the summertime.

Growing From Seed vs Laying Turf

If your existing garden is very unhealthy and beyond repair, you might consider raking it all up and starting again. Creating a brand new lawn allows you to get a good base to work with, making for a more consistent look and growth overall. There are two ways to lay new grass - by seeding or laying turf. Choosing the right option will depend on your individual needs and how much time/labour you have to put into the project. Here are some things to consider before choosing:

  • Grass seed is considerably cheaper than turf - 50p per square metre VS around £4-£8 per square metre depending on the quality and delivery prices.
  • Good quality turf will have a good variety of grass and controlled weeds to reduce the risk of disease. This gives you a healthier lawn instantly and one that has a more even consistency too.
  • Turf will need daily watering for the first few weeks while you should take caution when watering seeds to prevent them from being washed away.
  • Turf can be laid all year round, except for when the soil is frozen. Seeds can only be sewn in either spring or autumn.
  • Turf can be walked on after approximately 4-6 weeks. Grass seeds will need 6-12 months to grow before the grass can be walked on normally.

Whichever option you go for, you will need to consider the right weed killer to keep grass consistently growing. Consider something like the Doff 4 in 1 Complete Law Grass Feed that effectively kills weeds and moss while also resulting in a thicker greener lawn too.

How Often Should You Mow The Garden?

Mowing the garden is an important part of outdoor maintenance. Adjusting the setting on your lawnmower will help you to achieve the finished look you’re striving for. But overcutting can also impact health, causing it to look bare and depleted. So, how often should you mow for the best results:

  • Summer - Two times a week. Reduce to one time a week if rainfall has been limited. If you have a flower-dense lawn, you can reduce moving to once every 4-6 weeks. Avoid cutting long-grass lawns before June.
  • Spring/Autumn - Once per week. For flower-dense lawns, leave them uncut until June.
  • Winter - Mowing normally isn’t needed during these months, unless the grass is still growing. Don’t cut if the ground is frozen.

For the best results, you should start on the highest setting for cutting height and reduce this as needed. If you want a striped design, you will need to adjust the blade height on each strip. This can take some time to perfect but gives a very impressive look in the long run.

Lawnmower Care

One of the key things to remember is that the only way you can achieve well-cut and healthy grass is by having sharp blades fitted into your lawnmower. Blunt blades will cause damage - both to your lawn and potentially the machine itself. Replace the blades annually and, if you can, sharpen them regularly to prolong the lifespan and cut down on unnecessary expenses.

Make sure to maintain your lawnmower regularly to keep it running at full capacity.

  • Clean and replace the air filter.
  • Check and change the oil (if necessary).
  • Keep your lawnmower covered during winter with a properly Shaped Cover to prevent exposure to moisture and rust.
  • Make sure that any garden extension leads that you use are properly wrapped and stored when not in use.
  • Consider using an electric circuit breaker plug adaptor to maintain safety when mowing.

How Often Should You Water Your Lawn?

All plants need water to survive but, too much, and you can flood the area. Waterlogged areas make a garden uncomfortable to move around but can also damage the health and growth of plants and grass in the area. Therefore, it’s important that you keep watering to an appropriate level.

Even grass that turns brown or dry during summer can be recovered when moisture returns. If you are going through a drought, water your grass when the soil becomes very dry. You may need to aerate the ground first with a garden fork to help the water to penetrate deeper. We recommend not watering more than every 7-10 days.

Choosing Lawn Feed

We mentioned lawn feed above but it is one of the most important considerations to make when creating the perfect outdoor space. You need to ensure it has the right nutrients to grow and thrive - without these, it will turn thin and become discoloured. Poorly fed grass also has an increased risk of disease and is more prone to weeds too. Choosing the right feed depends on a number of elements:

  • Check the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you want quicker leaf growth, choose a blend higher in nitrogen. If you want good root development and nutrient absorption, opt for one with phosphorus and flower formation and fruit, choose one with good levels of potassium.
  • If you’re limited on time, choose a feed that has weed killer in it too.
  • Improve the quality of soil with a soil improver, such as Doff Garden Seaweed Liquid Fertiliser.
  • Consider the format. Some fertilisers are liquid concentrated that penetrate deeply and are easy to apply consistently across the ground. Granular fertilisers can be applied to damp lawn and will sit longer in the soil before it needs to be reapplied.
  • Choose either a slow-release fertiliser for winter application when the grass will largely lay dormant. Quick-release fertilisers will give you results quicker but you may use more product on each application.

Achieving a healthy and good looking lawn takes time and effort. However, the sense of achievement you’ll have when the first compliment comes rolling in will be entirely worth it. Here at Sealant & Tools Direct, we have a wide range of Lawn Care products to help you fit within a budget while still getting the best results. Get in contact with the team for more advice and tips now.