Any real estate agent will tell you many sales are made or lost at the curb. What prospective buyers see of the outside of the home either lures them in or inspires them to leave quickly. The reason is simple. If they spot problems or neglect outside, they will suspect far more such issues on the inside. An obvious need for a lawn care service or weed control can cause them to have an immediate negative opinion.
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The Difference Lawn Care Can Make
If you want to drive up a home’s curb appeal or value then investing some time in lawn care will pay off. Here are five fast ways to improve your lawn and give your home more curb appeal.
1. Water your lawns at night, preferably between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. During these times the water will not evaporate quickly because there is less wind and the temperature is colder avoiding the hot sun. Majority of lawn needs about an inch of water per week. To be sure on those days you are able to water that you are using enough, set some containers out so you can measure accurately. Try improvising your containers using unused tupperwares, tuna or cat food cans. When possible if you live in arid climate areas plant grasses that do better with less water.
2. Late fall or early winter are great times to fertilize the lawn if you have cool season grasses. Cool season grasses like Fescue and Bluegrass appreciate having fertilizing before the first freeze. This will remain in the soil once it turns colder feeding your lawn’s roots for the entire season.
3. During early fall, it’s easy to become obsessed with raking the leaves, especially if you are showing the house. This also a good time to pay attention to fertilizing needs, as well as de-thatching and aerating. This should be done before over-seeding.
4. After a long winter, the first sign of spring is a good time to check for uneven ground. Look for raised areas on the lawn and even this out. Experts recommend top dressing with sand and soil by laying down a composition of sand and fertilizer, rake the lawn bed then wait for it to settle about few minutes to an hour where you see the lawn has become depressed due to being a high traffic area test for compacted soil. When you can only penetrate a garden fork about 2 inches down easily then you can use an aerator to remove small plugs of soil from your lawn to reduce the compaction. Should the compaction be across a large area it’s best to call for a lawn care service.
5. All year long there are some things you should always be doing. When you mow, keep in mind that short isn’t better for lawn care. The ideal mowing height depends with the grass type you have.
Ideal to Maximum height of lawn according to grass type
Grass type |
Height |
Bahia grass; fescue, tall; blue grama; buffalo grass |
2 to 3 inches |
Bent grass |
1/4 to 1 inch |
Bermuda grass, common |
3/4 to 1-1/2 inches |
Bermuda grass, hybrid |
1/2 to 1 inch |
Centipede grass; zoysia grass* |
1 to 2 inches |
Fescue, fine; |
1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches |
Kentucky bluegrass |
1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches |
Ryegrass, annual and perennial |
1-1/2 to 2 inches |
St. Augustine Grass |
2-½ to 3 ½ inches |
More Lawn Service Advice:
- Lawn Service Springtime Seed Control and Management
- Build Your Own Edible Garden
- Bad Lawn Care Advice That’s Might be Killing Your Yard
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