Garden and Yard Care Tips Part 5

Continuing from the previous article, let’s delve into lawn care.

Soil Testing

The condition of the soil is crucial for a healthy lawn. If the soil is too acidic or alkaline, it needs to be balanced. You can easily purchase soil testing kits from Amazon or hardware stores like Home Depot. Most kits require you to send a soil sample by mail, and they will email you the report. A pH of around 7.0 indicates a balanced soil. Lower values indicate acidity, while higher values indicate alkalinity. Different plants thrive in different soil pH levels. For example, blueberries grow well in acidic soil, while lilacs prefer alkaline soil.

The best time for soil testing is usually in the fall, but early spring, before the lawn starts growing, is also fine.

Soil pH Control

Based on the soil test results, you can apply fertilizers to balance the soil. If the soil is acidic, apply lime. If it is alkaline, use a soil acidifier or sulfur. This should be done between May and August.

Iron Application

Some lawns have a rich green color, while others are lighter. This difference is not just due to the type of grass. To make your lawn a deeper green, you should apply iron supplements. These can be applied regularly from May to August when the grass is actively growing.

Aeration

If the soil is compacted, it becomes difficult for grass roots, nutrients, and water to spread evenly. Therefore, you need to aerate the soil. Typically, this is done once before the grass starts growing in March to April, and once after the growing season ends in September to November. You can choose to aerate either once or twice a year. After aeration, be sure to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent weed growth, as mentioned in the previous article.

That covers lawn care for now. In the next article, we will explore how to plant and care for trees.