5 Biggest Lawn Care Mistakes

Posted on April 12th, 2017 by Devine Bros

Maintaining a healthy lawn is no easy task. Don’t make it harder on yourself by making these five common mistakes:

Not testing your soil.

Everything about your lawn starts in the soil, which is why it is important to have your pH level tested. Testing your soil will help you determine which type of lawn treatments are required, the best type of fertilizers to use, how much is required, and other important decisions.

Cutting the grass too short.

When mowing your lawn, it’s tempting to set the mower blades as low as possible. After all, the shorter you cut your grass, the longer until it’s time to mow again. However, it is possible to cut your grass too short, leaving it prone to disease and drying out. Set the mower height to about 2½ inches and never cut off more than ⅓ of the grass blade at once.

Bagging lawn clippings.

Do you bag your lawn clippings after mowing? If so, you are essentially throwing away free fertilizer. Freshly-mowed grass clippings are full of nutrients such as nitrogen; leaving them on your lawn can reduce your need for fertilizer by up to 25%.

Watering too much.

When it comes to watering your grass, less is more. Overwatering your lawn not only wastes water, it discourages your grass from developing a deep root system, making it more likely to die in periods of drought. A good rule of thumb is to add ⅓ of an inch of water three times per week. Water early in the morning if possible, as this helps minimize evaporation.

Waiting until it’s too late.

A lush lawn is a year-round commitment. If you wait until the late spring to start prepping, you’re already too late. This season-by-season calendar from House Logic details exactly what you need to do to maintain a healthy lawn all year long.

Devine Bros. offers the widest selection of landscaping and masonry materials in Fairfield County, Connecticut. From mulch to flagstone and everything in between, look no further than us to supply your next project. All of our products are available for pickup and delivery. If you live in Norwalk, Westport, New Canaan, or the surrounding area, call (203) 866-4421 to learn more, or view our product selection online.