The grass is one of the most versatile outdoor surfaces available. It’s soft enough to lie down on and read a good book. But it’s also perfect for playing sport. While many people assume that growing the perfect lawn will take too much work. Thankfully, this simply isn’t true. There are dozens of simple ways that you can create a lush grassy surface. To find these techniques, we did a lot of online research.
Types of Grass and Types of Lawns
Grass is a versatile and important component of any yard. It fills in where shrubs, flowers, and trees can’t grow. In addition to adding beauty to your landscape, grass also creates a natural filter for your yard and absorbs the pollutants in the air.
You want to have a garden that looks great and lasts for years – but you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself. In this guide, we’re going to walk you through which types of turfgrass are best for your yard.
There are many different types of grasses you can grow:
Bermudagrass:
Bermudagrass is a low-maintenance plant that requires less water and fertilization. It grows in a variety of conditions and can be planted in tough soil conditions. It can also grow in shaded areas or partial shade which makes it suitable for many types of landscaping applications.
Zoysiagrass:
Zoysiagrass is ornamental grass that originated from the East Indies. It was officially described in 1848 by Isaac Curtis, who named it after his wife, Sarah Zoesi.
The plant is known for its heavily glaucous leaves that are typically between 9 and 12 inches long. The plants grow to heights of about 3 feet and have dark green foliage on lower stems. Zoysiagrass also has reddish-brown flowers with silvery-white petals that spread out over the whole plant during the summer months.
Centipedegrass:
Centipedegrass is a perennial plant that is considered invasive. It was introduced to the United States and Canada as a lawn and ornamental plant, and it has since spread all over the country.
The centipedegrass has been able to spread because of its resistance to many different types of herbicides. It also forms dense patches that make it hard for other plants to grow in the areas that they have invaded.
Kentucky bluegrass:
Kentucky bluegrass is one of the most popular varieties of grass for both residential and commercial applications. This plant has gained popularity because of its unique characteristics – it is drought-resistant, fast-growing, shade-tolerant, and it has a low maintenance cost.
Kentucky bluegrass has also become popular to use in golf courses because it is dense and can tolerate high levels of foot traffic.
Ryegrass:
Ryegrass is a type of turfgrass that is native to the United States and Canada. It can be found in many different colors, with a wide range of mixtures of green, yellow, light brown, and light red needles.
Ryegrass has been used for hundreds of years as a ground cover for athletic fields. It is known to have higher levels of the compound xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) which converts xanthine into uric acid, allowing it to help prevent mowers from getting sick from the smell.
Tall fescue:
Tall fescue, also known as Irish grass, is a perennial bunchgrass with small heads. It is native to Europe and North America. There are several species of tall fescue that are commonly used to blanket areas in the landscape.
Tall fescue provides a dense, velvety groundcover that can be used in many different applications such as for borders, hedges, and naturalizing areas. It grows well in most soils and climates and requires little maintenance because it does not produce seeds or runners to spread throughout the garden.
Seed The Lawn
One of the best ways to make sure that you’re growing a consistent lawn is by seeding it properly. This is the perfect solution to any bald patches. To seed your lawn, you’ll need to purchase a seeding mixture.
In most cases, you want to spend a little extra to purchase a premium product. While the price tag might look appealing, it’s unlikely that a cheaper product will do the job properly. If you want, you might be able to grow grass that has certain characteristics. For example, you might want grass that has a darker leaf.
Once you’ve got the seeds, you can start preparing your lawn. To do this, get a garden rake and make some narrow furrows in the soil. Then, spread the seeds evenly over the furrows. If the seed is darkly colored, it can be difficult to see where they landed. If this is the case, you might want to add some sand to the mixture.
After the seed mixture has been spread through the soil, you can apply some water. Be careful about overwatering the seeds, as you might wash them away.
- Scotts Turf Builder THICK'R LAWN Sun & Shade is a 3-in-1 solution uniquely formulated to help turn your thin lawn into a thicker, greener lawn with stronger roots
- Get up to a 50% thicker lawn with just one application (subject to proper care; results may vary based on current condition of lawn)
- Lawn improvement product contains grass seed to fill gaps in current lawn, fertilizer for thicker, greener turf, and soil improver to enhance root development
- This 3-in-1 is a great addition to your lawn care program with one application in the spring and one application in the late summer or early fall
- One 40 lb. bag of Scotts Turf Builder THICK'R LAWN Sun & Shade covers 4,000 sq. ft.
Water The Grass
One of the biggest factors that will determine how good the lawn looks is the amount of water that you’re giving it. As a general rule, you’ll need to be giving the grass at least one to one and a half inches of water per week.
This is especially important during the winter months, where the lawn tends to dry out. To find out how much rainfall you’ve received, you might want to purchase a rain gauge.
To build a strong root system, only water two to three times a week. This will make your grass stronger and more resistant to droughts. You also want to try to water the grass in the morning, rather than at night where the moisture can cause fungus to grow. One of the best ways to make sure that your lawn is getting enough water is by sticking a screwdriver into the soil. If you can’t penetrate at least six inches, your lawn isn’t getting enough water.
- Waters your lawn automatically the whole season
- Eliminates constant hassle of moving garden hoses and making sprinkler adjustments
- Attaches to an outside faucet and installs in one afternoon
- Sprinklers retract into lawn for a clean uncluttered appearance and easy mowing
- Covers medium size lawn areas from 1000 to 3000 sq. ft. with average residential water pressure and flow of 45 to 75 psi
Lawn Till Before Planting A Garden
If you want to plant a garden, you’ll need to make sure that you till the ground first. This is essential to prepare the ground. In many cases, a prospective garden site will become overrun with grass. This will compete with your plants for water and nutrients. Even if you fertilize the soil, it’ll still make plant growth more difficult.
Thankfully, tilling the soil will remove the grass and other weeds. This will create the perfect conditions for planting a garden. Though you can till by hand, it’s often much easier to purchase a machine. To till the ground, you’ll need to first make sure that you’ve prepared the ground. Go through the area and try to remove any rocks, which could be a potential safety issue. You might also want to add some water, to loosen up the soil a little. If the area has become overgrown, use a mower to cut the grass or weeds before you start tilling.
Once you’ve prepped the ground, you can start tiling. As you do this, work in rows, moving slowly. You’ll need to repeat this process until all the grass and weeds have been removed. Then, you can plant the garden.
Mow The Lawn
Finally, you might want to mow the lawn, stopping it from becoming overgrown. It’s generally recommended that you leave your grass around three inches long, as this will allow deeper roots to grow. The extra length will also cause shadows under the grass, which will stop weeds from germinating.
How often you’ll need to mow will depend on how quickly your grass is growing. Before you mow, you must sharpen the blades. This will ensure that the grass is evenly sliced, allowing it to regrow strongly. It’s generally recommended that you sharpen the blade every six or seven uses, to stop it from becoming too blunt.
Conclusion
Your lawn should be a place for you to relax. As we’ve seen, spending a few hours each month taking lawn care of it will deliver spectacular results. So, use some of these tips to create the perfect lawn.
As you can see, there’re numerous arguments for getting a tiller. If you’re unsure which specs to look for, you may want to check out this descriptive garden tillers compilation.
