Lawn Care Tips
Lawn care tips for minnesota lawns
Spring
If your lawn is subjected to high levels of traffic year after year, it may eventually start to show signs of decline. In such cases, your lawn is probably suffering from compaction. For instance, the presence of moss plants signals compaction (among other things).
Lawn care tips for minnesota lawns
Summer
A lawn needs about 1 in. of water a week. If you're allowed to use a sprinkler or irrigation system, water twice a week applying 1/2 in. of water per session.
Frequent light watering does more harm than good because it encourages shallow root growth. So use a rain gauge or a soup can placed nearby to measure the amount of water you are applying. Of course, to avoid wasting water, be mindful of proper sprinkler setup. Be sure that water is not being wasted on sidewalks, driveways or the patio.
Morning is the best time to water most lawns. Before 10:00 am is the best of all because rising heat later on tends to steal a lot of the water through evaporation.
- A lush green lawn requires 1"-1.5" of rain per week
- Avoid watering when it is windy
- Lawns that are frequently aerated absorb water much better
- Mulch around shrubs and other plantings so the soil holds moisture longer
- Adjust your sprinklers to evenly water your vegetation. Avoid areas that runoff
- Check with your city about their watering regulations
Don't panic if there's a drought. A lawn can go brown and dormant for as long as eight weeks. When the drought is over, apply a summer fertilizer and repair damaged areas.
Lawn care tips for minnesota lawns
Autumn
To be sure, there will be some fall lawn maintenance you'll have to do regardless of the type of grass on your lawn. Let's look at these tasks first:
- Apply herbicides to broadleaf weeds
- Correct soil pH: if your lawn is not performing well, have your soil tested. If the soil test should show a need to reduce acidity, apply lime now. If alkalinity needs to be reduced, apply sulfur
- Thatch removal: dethatch your lawn, by raking; for bad cases of soil compaction, you may have to employ the technique known as core aeration, for which lawn equipment is known as "aerators" can be bought or rented
- Rake leaves, or use a leaf vacuum, lest the leaves smother your grass over the winter
Make sure to drain old gas out of lawnmowers after the last mowing
The nature of the following fall lawn care chores depends on whether it's a cool-season or warm-season turf grass that you have to care for:
- Watering
- Fertilization
- Setting lawn mower height