What are some good ideas on how to get a good healthy lawn?

Answer 1

Having been a golf course superintendent for 10 years my suggestion would be feed it to keep it growing and sharpen your mower blades often. Nitrogen is the most important element for grass and it leaches with rain. The more it rains or you water the more you need to add to a degree. You know you have enough down when the growth is as much as you want to mow. Sharpen your mower blades. Cutting with dull blades is like shaving with a bad razor blade, no good. Don't mow to short, the shoots must feed the roots! Spot spray the weeds when needed. Best way to keep the weeds out is to keep the grass thick. Best way to keep the grass thick is to fertilize. Grass plants don't know organic nitrogen from chemical nitrogen or fancy from plain. You don't have to buy Scott's, you can use 12-12-12 from the feed store. When its hot and dry, either water and feed or let go dormant and stop feeding. Important feeding is in the late fall whereas 20 years ago everyone thought the spring feed was the most important. Remember grass plants grow as long as the ground is not frozen just at a slower rate. A late fall or winter feed assures that the plants aren't starved by spring. With that said, uncut, unfertilized fescue is beautiful and the native blue-stems cant be beat!

Answer 2

I never add fertilizer to my lawn. I use a mulcher mower and cut at highest setting. Come fall, I cut to mulch the leaves into the grass. I must be doing something right cause my neighbors watched this acre go from mostly weeds and bare ground from time we bought it to it's lush almost weed-free state it's in now. Took 6 yrs but was well worth it. The thick growing grass is my natural weed killer. It smothers the weeds. I also don't apply grass seed. Instead I let the grass go to seed in the spring and they do my first mowing. It spreads the seed around that way. I recently read that dethatching a lawn on a reg. basis will get rid of the friggin' creeping charlie that I can't seem to get rid of no matter what I do. Gonna rent a dethatcher for my lawn tractor this spring and go to town on it. Only weed that I can't seem to get rid of no matter how thick my lawn is.

Oh and forgot to add......I wind-spread the wood ash from my fireplace in the winter over my yard. Been doing that last 2 yrs and my lawn seems to improve even more.

Answer 3

From horticulture department if you buy grass of a good variety, they themselves will bring chunks of grass, dig the ground a little for the lawn, & manure the soil. After a few days that grass spreads, You only need to water.

Answer 4

Namaste

Also, be sure to hire the boys of the family or, if you have no boys, the neighbors sons, to cut your lawn. That way you will keep a teenager happy and have a lovely lawn and make friends with your neighbors!

Well, ...... maybe it would be better to hire a garden service! I am just thinking, that is all! Forgive me!

Peace & Love
LPM

Answer 5

I had to look this one up because it was something I had never heard before. PubMed apparently did some research on this theory and concluded that there are no conclusions and no proof to substantiate this theory. [link=http://www.bmezine.com/risks/index.html]BME[/link] quickly dismisses this as an urban legend, but one pervasive enough that even doctors have been known to believe it. Tattooz.net's medical expert says, "The needle would go through the epidermis, dermis and into the areas where the anesthesia is infiltrated without difficulty", but wisely advises that anyone in this situation get personal professional advice from their own anesthesiologist.

Answer 6

Very simple,,,,fertilizer...water and regular mowing. Fertilize at least every 5 weeks. Water regularly and mow once to twice a week.

Answer 7

1st i would fertilize with amonia sulfate it will green your lawn instantly. then plug your lawn and fertilize every 4 weeks. also mow your yard high all season long

Answer 8

dig down about 2 feet and fill it with manour and soil and earth worms.. earth worms fecal matter is healthy for the plants!.. and lay down your grass water 2 times a day.. and in a couple weeks enjoy!

Answer 9

Healthy grass provides feeding ground for birds, who find it a rich
source of insects, worms, and other food. Thick grass prevents soil

erosion, filters contaminants from rainwater, and absorbs many types

of airborne pollutants, like dust and soot. Grass is also highly

efficient at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, a process that helps

clean the air.



* Caring for your lawn properly can both enhance its appearance and

contribute to its environmental benefits. You don't have to be an

expert to grow a healthy lawn. Just keep in mind that the secret is to

work with nature. This means creating conditions for grass to thrive

and resist damage from weeds, disease, and insect pests. It means

setting realistic goals for your lawn, whether you or a professional

lawn care service will be doing the work. And if you choose to use

pesticides, it means using them with care so as to get the most

benefit and reduce any risks.



* Caring for your lawn in an environmentally sensible way can have a

bigger impact than you might think. Your lawn is only a small piece of

land, but all the lawns across the country cover a lot of ground. That

means you and your lawn care activities, along with everyone else's,

can make a difference to the environment. And that's why taking care

of the environment begins in our own backyards.

A Preventive Health Care Program For Your Lawn





To start, think about lawn care as a preventive health care

program, like one you would use to keep up your own health. The idea is

to prevent problems from occurring so you don't have to treat them. As

they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A healthy

lawn can out-compete most weeds, survive most insect attacks, and fend

off most diseases--before these problems ever get the upper hand.



[Graphic Omitted]



Your lawn care program should be tailored to local conditions--the

amount of rainfall you get, for example, and the type of soil you have.

The sources listed at the back of this brochure can help you design a

lawn care program that suits both local conditions and your own

particular needs. But no matter where you live, you can use the program

outlined in this brochure as a general guide to growing a healthy lawn.



A preventive health care program for your lawn should have the

following steps:



1. Develop healthy soil



2. Choose a grass type that thrives in your climate



3. Mow high, often, and with sharp blades



4. Water deeply but not too often



5. Correct thatch build-up



6. Set realistic goals





1. Develop Healthy Soil





Good soil is the foundation of a healthy lawn. To grow well, your

lawn needs soil with good texture, some key nutrients, and the right pH,

or acidity/alkalinity balance.



Start by checking the texture of your soil to see whether it's

heavy with clay, light and sandy, or somewhere in between. Lawns grow

best in soil with intermediate or "loamy" soils that have a mix of clay,

silt, and sand. Whatever soil type you have, you can probably improve it

by periodically adding organic matter like compost, manure, or grass

clippings. Organic matter helps to lighten a predominantly clay soil and

it helps sandy soil retain water and nutrients.



Also check to see if your soil is packed down from lots of use or

heavy clay content. This makes it harder for air and water to penetrate,

and for grass roots to grow. To loosen compacted soil, some lawns may

need to be aerated several times a year. This process involves pulling

out plugs of soil to create air spaces, so water and nutrients can again

penetrate to the grass roots.



Most lawns need to be fertilized every year, because they need more

nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than soils usually contain. These

three elements are the primary ingredients found in most lawn

fertilizers. It's important not to over-fertilize--you could do more

harm to your lawn than good--and it's best to use a slow-release

fertilizer that feeds the lawn slowly. It's also important to check the

soil's pH. Grass is best able to absorb nutrients in a slightly acidic

soil, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Soil that is too acidic can be

"sweetened" with lime; soil that's not acid enough can be made more sour

by adding sulfur.



[Graphic Omitted]



Have your soil tested periodically to see whether it needs more

organic matter or the pH needs adjusting. Your county extension agent

(listed in your phone book under county government) or local nursery

should be able to tell you how to do this. These experts can also help

you choose the right fertilizer, compost, and other "soil amendments,"

and they can advise you about aerating if your soil is compacted. If a

professional service takes care of your lawn, make sure it takes these

same steps to develop good soil. There's no getting around it: your

lawn's health is only as good as the soil it grows in



2. Choose A Grass Type That Thrives In Your Climate

The right type of grass--one that suits your needs and likes the

local weather--will always give better results. Grasses vary in the type

of climate they prefer, the amount of water and nutrients they need,

their resistance to pests, their tolerance for shade, and the degree of

wear they can withstand.
If you are putting in a new lawn, it will be worth your while to do

some research to identify the best grass type for your needs.
If you're working with an established lawn that fails to thrive

despite proper care, you might consider replanting with a different type

of grass.
Why struggle to grow grass that's susceptible to fungal disease if

you live in a humid climate? Or a water-loving species if you live in an

area with water shortages? Grass that is well-adapted to your area will

grow better and resist local pests and diseases better.
New grass varieties and mixtures come out on the market every year.
Ask your county extension agent or another one of the sources

listed in this brochure for recommendations.
3. Mow High, Often and With Sharp Blades
Mowing high--that is, keeping your lawn a bit long--will produce

stronger, healthier grass with fewer pest problems.
Longer grass has more leaf surface to take in sunlight. This

enables it to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system, which in

turn helps the grass survive drought, tolerate insect damage, and fend

off diseases. Longer grass also shades the soil surface keeping it

cooler, helping it retain moisture, and making it difficult for weeds to

germinate and grow.
A lawn's ideal length will vary with the type of grass, but many

turf grass species are healthiest when kept between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2

inches. The ruler at the back of this brochure will help the best

mowing height for your grass variety. You may have to readjust your

mower--most are set too low.
It's also important to mow with sharp blades to prevent tearing and

injuring the grass. And it's best to mow often, because grass adjusts

better to frequent than infrequent mowing. The rule of thumb is to mow

often enough that you never cut more than one-third of the height of the

grass blades. Save some time and help your lawn and the environment by

leaving short clippings on the grass--where they recycle

nitrogen--rather than sending them in bags to the landfill.
You don't have to grow a foot-high meadow to get good results. Just

adding an inch will give most lawns a real boost.
4. Water Deeply But Not Too Often

for further answer visit i cant contain it here
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/lawn/lawn.txt
hope this has helped you