The lawn must be well-maintained because it is created mainly for beauty, to give the site a respectable appearance. And what will happen if the lawn is not cared for properly or not cared for at all? There are all kinds of grass growing behind the fence, and it's fine; it grows without our constant care.
A good lawn will take a lot of time to create and maintain.
It's up to you; everyone has the right to experiment with their lawn as much as they want, but I wouldn't take the risk—wild grasses and lawn grasses have different life purposes. It is my firm belief, based on real-life experience, that a good lawn, as opposed to a poor imitation, requires a lot of time to create and maintain, no matter what anyone says or writes. This makes annoying mistakes all the more frustrating, as they are long and difficult to correct and cannot be ignored: minor lawn problems can quickly grow into serious issues and irrevocably ruin your lawn. I won't beat around the bush; I'll move on to specific examples.
1. Sowing a lawn is a job for professionals
After all, sowing a lawn is not the same as planting a row of carrots—the specifics are different. I'll be honest: I have never met a summer resident who has done a decent job of this. Perhaps (and most likely!) there are some, but the vast majority of ordinary gardeners are not among them. Overconfidence in this case will only harm, and the results will be something like this: a patchwork quilt effect, where some places are dense and others are empty. Or simply sparse sowing, when instead of a cheerful brush of friendly shoots above the ground, lonely blades of grass appear.
It is best to leave lawn planting to the professionals.
You need to reseed urgently if you do not want to admire bald patches in your lawn until autumn. Sad? Of course. Meanwhile, this dreary situation could have been avoided altogether if you had entrusted the sowing of your lawn to a professional—a seed spreader. It doesn't need to be practiced; it was specially designed to spread seeds evenly. By the way, it will not be idle in the future: with its help, regular feeding of even large lawns will take a minimum of time. If you handle it with care and store it correctly, the equipment will last a long time, as it is made of steel and high-quality plastic.
2. Weed removal – precision work
Even if the pre-sowing soil preparation was perfect, it will not save you from weeds. Dandelions constantly send out parachute troops, and the wind and birds carry the seeds of thistles, plantains, and other herbs. Weeds love to grow on lawns: there is plenty of food and water, and delicate grasses are clearly no match for them in the battle for a place in the sun. Another thing is that their presence does not add to the beauty of the lawn, and pragmatic summer residents cannot see it.
No lawn is safe from uninvited guests—dandelions.
Some weeds can be eliminated by frequent mowing. But this trick won't work with most uninvited guests. And we don't have many defenses in our arsenal, so we have to choose between two evils: either chemicals (herbicides) or mechanical methods. Selecting a product is usually not a problem—the instructions are clear and easy to follow. But manual removal is not so straightforward: you need to use hoes, mattocks, and shovels—after all, you have to not only cut off the top of the enemy, but also get rid of the root.
Weeds cannot withstand such brute force, but the lawn also suffers: it is impossible to neatly replace the turned-over clod of earth in its original place, so the number of weeds removed is equal to the number of bumps on the lawn. What's more, grass with a damaged root system often falls out, and lots of mini bald spots do not make the lawn look any prettier. At one time, weeds on the lawn almost drove me to a nervous breakdown: I categorically did not want to pour chemicals on the ground, and removing them with a knife was not only tedious but also physically challenging.
Removing weeds by the roots with a knife is not a pleasant task.
The first 5-10 dandelions were easy to pull up, but by the 50th or so, I began to notice that my black soil was particularly dense today. When I passed the hundred mark, my right hand categorically refused to obey me because it was already really hurting.
Thanks to my friend: she suggested the right solution—a weed remover. Long steel needles easily remove roots even from dense, sticky soil, while leaving the lawn looking practically flawless. And how comfortable the handle with its non-slip grip is in the palm of your hand! Anyone who has never gotten bloody blisters from stubbornly digging out weeds with a knife will not be able to appreciate the convenience of this tool fully, but take my word for it—it really is that good.
With a weed remover, mowing the lawn is no longer such a daunting and exhausting task.
Most importantly, it helps to quickly and easily get rid of weeds without herbicides, which, I must admit, is one of its main advantages for me. If possible, I will always choose a less convenient but faster and environmentally friendly way to solve the problem.
3. Why does a lawn need a rake?
Many summer residents sincerely believe that mowing the lawn is a completely useless activity. Is it any wonder that mowed and dead grass forms a dense layer that hinders oxygen access to the roots? Not only that, but over time, it becomes saturated with moisture and begins to rot, becoming a breeding ground for various diseases.
Don't comb the lawn with a garden rake!
And believe me, it will be much harder to cure your lawn than to comb it regularly. Just don't repeat one of the most annoying mistakes that ruin a lawn—don't comb it with a garden rake! I've seen a lawn that has undergone such a procedure—it's a sorry sight. Use only a special lawn tool, such as a fan rake.
Twenty-two teeth made of spring steel – that's power!
I'm the only one who finds it incredibly annoying when, while working, I have to constantly straighten the tines of the rake, which bend in all directions with the first few strokes. With comfortable rakes, the mandatory combing procedure will be easy and pleasant.
4. Breathe deeper!
Over time, the soil on the lawn becomes compacted, which does not have the best effect on its appearance: the grass grows worse, turns yellow, and dries out. Disease resistance also decreases sharply, and there is a possibility of grass falling out in winter. All this mess happens because the roots suffer from a lack of oxygen and moisture. But these problems can be easily avoided by aerating the lawn promptly, i.e., piercing the turf.
Over time, the soil in the lawn becomes so compacted that it becomes difficult for the roots to breathe.
If the lawn area is small, you can get by with a pitchfork, but I have been using an aerator for several years now—it's much faster and, in my opinion, produces better results. What I personally like about this aerator is that I can even work in the dew—the grooved wheels don't slip, and thanks to the width of the grip, you don't have to tread in one place for a long time. It weighs very little, so moving it from place to place is easy.
Lawn aerator
5. Smoother, even smoother!
It is not for nothing that they say that it is the little things that create a flawless image. Let the lawn be perfectly green and healthy, let it be evenly mowed, but if there are flaws—patches of grass that the mower has missed (near curbs, along paths or benches)—they will spoil the overall impression. Of course, this is not as serious a problem as improper care, but beauty is by no means the last criterion by which we evaluate the green lawn in front of the house. Therefore, I decided to include this oversight in my list.
For a lawn to be gorgeous, it must be mowed perfectly.
And fixing the mess is pretty simple: grab some scissors, get down on your knees, and start trimming along the edge of the lawn. Before, just thinking about this chore would make my back ache and my hands get all calloused. By the way, back in those glory days, all I had were some office scissors. Unsurprisingly, after the endless attempts at mowing, I sincerely wanted to get a concrete mixer and simplify the maintenance of this part of the garden forever.
Therefore, the first news about miracle lawn shears was received by me as a personal holiday. That was 10 years ago. Having gained experience during this time, I can confidently say that you need to get shears with a long handle—that way, you practically won't have to bend over. Wheels on the tool won't be superfluous either; you won't need to hold the shears in the air all the time. And be sure to test your purchase in the store—the handle should fit comfortably in your hand.
Not all tools are created equal! Pole grass shears make lawn care much easier.
I really like green lawns, but I have no intention of deviating from the principle of “lawns for us, not us for lawns.” And that's not necessary: caring for grass can and should be easy; the main thing is to choose the right helpers. And now you know how to avoid the main mistakes in lawn care.
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