Lawn care is usually the most basic and common of landscaping tasks. People take great pride in having a healthy lawn that the neighbors would be envious off. It It is also satisfying to know that you can take care of your lawn for much less than paying someone else to do it. Plus, you get the bonus of that sense of satisfaction knowing that you did a fantastic job on your lawn. But in order to have a great looking home garden landscape, there are a few things to bear in mind concerning lawn care basics. But once you have the basics worked out, and you keep with them, there is no stopping you from having a great looking lawn.

The first thing to do before you even start mowing is to clean the lawn. This means clearing up leaves and other debris, and getting rid of unwanted brush. You are going to want a level lawn so getting rid of bumps and or dips is important. To get rid of small valleys, you can fill the holes with top-soil and then add grass seed. Bumps can be removed by using a garden-spade to cut an X in the raised area. Peel back the 'sod' and then remove the soil as needed before replacing the sod. This cleaning and leveling of your yard will make it easier to mow the lawn, and your yard will have a pleasing even appearance.

Mowing the grass should be done regularly and depending on the climate, and how fast your grass grows, this may need to be done once a week or once every other week. You should adjust the lawnmower blade so that it does not cut off more than a third of the grass height. The surface area of each blade of grass is important in sustaining good health of the lawn - so you don't want to cut it too far down. If the grass is cut too short, an environment especially favorable to disease is created, and this can result in a rather unhealthy lawn.

One of the main essentials of href="http://www.landscape-garden.com/dream-lawn.html">lawn care is making sure that you do not have too much soil compacting. Over time, your soil will become compacted and harder beneath the grass. This causes problems with moisture penetration and grass root restriction. Aeration makes it possible for your soil to breathe a little easier. There are two types of aeration - one is the kind called 'plugging' where a special device removes clumps of soil, about the size of your finger, from the ground. The other kind simply punches holes in the soil. The point is that this allows water to seep down better (preventing erosion and drying out), as well as providing room for helpful organisms like earthworms to live. It is usually possible to hire an aerator if you do not wish to buy one. It is good to aerate about once every year or so.

Fertilizer can help your lawn grow. While it is not strictly necessary, and while it is possible to grow a healthy and attractive lawn without fertilizers, many people find them very helpful. It is important not to apply too much though, as this can result in the death of your lawn, and can also result in harm to the environment as the excess fertilizer is washed away. Fertilizers usually come in liquid or granular form. Liquid fertilizers act fast and require application every two to three weeks. They can be applied with a hose-end-sprayer or by using a watering can. Granules are dry and require that you water the lawn immediately after their application. You will most often use hand spreaders or mechanical spreaders to disperse these types of fertilizers. They will usually last eight to twelve weeks.

When you use fertilizer, you should be aware that it might be harmful to let your kids (and certain pets) play on the lawn for a few days. You need to make sure that the fertilizer has been absorbed below the surface before allowing anyone to 'play' on the grass. Many landscapers, however, find that they do not need fertilizers to create a great lawn.

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