Did you just purchase a new home? Sometimes the true state of the lawn doesn’t show itself until spring. Here are some tips to level up your lawn this season.

When we purchased our home in Locust Grove, it needed some love.  While we first focused on the inside by painting walls and replacing flooring, as soon as spring arrived we realized that the outside was going to need some attention too.  Years of leaves laying in the yard had caused the grass to die and the space was invaded by weeds.  While it’s still a work in progress, I did learn some things about bringing a lawn back to life.

Fertilize according to your grass

All lawns need some fertilization to help replace the nutrients that the grass uses.   

The type of grass you have in your yard will determine when you should fertilize.  Some grasses are known as cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrasses or fescues and they need to be fertilized in the fall.  Others are warm weather grasses (Bermuda grass or zoysia grass) and need to be done in the spring.  When we first moved in, I did put fertilizer on the grass in the spring because we could tell the soil was lacking, but I put down half of the recommended dose.

Learn about your soil

You can grab a sample of your soil and get it tested to find out what nutrients it has and what it is lacking.  The Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab will analyze your soil and share the results with you for ten dollars. This will help you see what nutrients are lacking in the soil which is helpful not only for your Locust Grove lawn but also for any flower beds and gardening you might want to do.

Add Lime

A lot of the soil in Locust Grove and the rest of Virginia is acidic and lime can help balance it.  You can add lime any time of the year, but it does take a while for the lime to completely penetrate the soil.  Adding it in the fall will give it plenty of time to work it’s way into the soil over the winter.

Cut a little

When I first started maintaining my lawn, I cut it pretty short to help extend the time in between mowings.  However, I quickly learned that keeping the mowing blades higher benefits the grass and keeps it healthier.  You don’t want to cut more than a third of the grass blades at a time.

Leave the Clippings

Once your lawn is mostly grass and not weeds you can stop bagging the clippings and let them decompose into the lawn.  

Mow in different directions

It is easy to get into the habit of always mowing your lawn in the same direction.  Instead, change up the direction that you cut the grass each time you are out there.  This helps the grass grow straight. Also, make sure that the blades on your mower are sharp.

Adding seeds

Most lawns get empty or thin spots.  Adding seeds to the lawn can help restore these areas.  The best time to plant the seeds is dependent of the type that you buy. Make sure to follow the directions on the bag.   You can plant in spring but sometimes the young grass doesn’t have time to develop a strong root system before the heat of summer starts.  Seeding in the fall gives the plant times to establish root systems before winter and make them ready to start growing in the spring.  We seeded a section of our yard in the fall and nothing really seemed to happen.  However, the next spring the area was lush with grass.