Good lawn care is essential if a healthy and attractive lawn is desired. It is really a matter of making sure the soil is in good health while water is applied appropriately. The use of fertilizers to improve soil quality is also an important consideration.


Soil Care


It is important to ensure that the soil is loose enough so that it can quickly absorb water and nutrients. Soil has to be treated according to its type and nature:


Clay soil: Since clay soil absorbs water very slowly, water only as fast as the soil absorbs the water. Tilling or spading the clay soil would help loosen it. Adding organic material such as compost or peat moss will also help.


Sandy soil: Water runs through sandy soil so quickly that most plants won’t be able to absorb it quickly enough. Organic material is an important supplement for sandy soil that allows it to hold more water in the lawn root zone.


Loam soil: This is a combination of sand, silt, and clay which serves as the best kind of soil. Loam absorbs water readily and stores it for plants to use when required.


Watering


Lawns need about 1 inch of water each week. If the weather is very hot, apply an inch of water about every 3 days. Watering to a depth of 4-6 inches encourages deeper, healthier root development. It also allows longer periods between watering as one deep watering is always much better than watering several times lightly.


Early morning or night is the best time for watering to reduce evaporation and also fungal diseases.. Always watch the weather before watering. Too much rain or watering will take nutrients away from the lawn’s root zone. When using a sprinkler system, water when it is not windy to help control where the water goes.


Fertilizers


Fertilizers provide the nutrients necessary for plant health and growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as well as a range of trace elements. Nitrogen (N) is needed for healthy green growth and regulation of other nutrients. Phosphorus (P) helps proper roots and seeds to develop and allows plants to resist disease. Potassium (K) is important in root development and disease resistance. Commercial fertilizers should have labels indicating the N, P, and K levels. Fertilizers have to be properly applied to ensure that the nutrients in fertilizers are absorbed by the lawn and to minimize the loss of these nutrients by draining away into ground or surface water resources.


Local fertilizer dealers usually offer a soil test to help find out what nutrients are needed. As a rule of thumb, always choose a fertilizer that has at least one-fourth of the nitrogen in a slow-release form, such as sulphur-coated urea.


Fertilizer is best applied when the soil is moist. Watering it lightly will help the fertilizer to move into the root zone where it is available to the plants. Otherwise, the fertilizer may just stay on top of the soil where it can be blown or washed away by rain. Always apply a minimal amount of fertilizer at frequent intervals.


When using a fertilizer spreader, calibrate the spreader so as to ensure the exact amount of fertilizer is being discharged in a given area. Apply fertilizers at the ends of lawn first and go back and forth across the rest of the lawn at half the recommended amount. Apply the other half by going back and forth, perpendicular to the first pattern. The best times to apply fertilizers are usually during spring and autumn when the weather is not too hot or cold.