Do you have a “Saturday” morning lawn care and maintenance routine? Is it absolutely necessary… will your lawn die if you don’t? Certainly not… at least not right away.

Perhaps more so in Nature than in human experience, consistency is a life-factor. Even from a purely practical standpoint, a consistent lawn care and maintenance program saves money and helps build equity in your home.

An established, well maintained lawn garden adds considerable value to your home.

A typical “Saturday” lawn care schedule…

Of course, “Saturday” is optional… pick any day. Just be consistent.

Mow the lawn as early as you can get yourself out of bed, BUT not so early as to offend your neighbors.

Edge the lawn where needed and sweep porches, sidewalks, and driveway. If you insist on using a leaf blower instead of a broom, PLEASE don’t rev the motor. The constant vroom, vroom, vroom when a more constant vroom will do the same thing, seems to be a point of contention with most neighbors.

Water the lawn. If it’s mid-day or later, wait until the next morning. Watering soon after mowing gets water into the root system quickly, but your lawn needs most of the day to breathe.

An alternative… If you’re not a morning person, or your neighbors object to morning noise, a successful option is to mow in the late afternoon, and then water deeply early the next morning.

In amongst all the spring, summer, and fall “Saturdays”, include the following ones for specialized, seasonal lawn care and maintenance.

A “Saturday” in early Spring…

30 days before the growing season starts:

Mow the lawn… Set the mower blades to a bare 2″ height for this first mowing.

Apply a fertilizer… Use a fertilizer that targets above-ground growth… high in Nitrogen and Potassium.

Water deeply… Apply an optimum 1″ of water, using a rain gauge or an empty tuna can to measure.

A “Saturday” in mid Spring…

When northern lawns achieve a ground temperature of 50F, or 70F for southern lawns:

Mow the lawn… Set the mower blades at a 2.5″ to 3.5″ height for this mowing.

Roll an aerator over the entire lawn… You can rent or purchase aerators, and they are quite reasonably priced.

Re-seed or re-sod… Identify any problem areas in your lawn, and apply grass seed or sod. (This is similar to spot-treating clothing.)

Water deeply… Apply an optimum 1″ of water, using a rain gauge or an empty tuna can to measure.

A “Saturday” in late Spring…

60 days after the first application of fertilizer:

Mow the lawn… Set the mower blades at a 2.5″ to 3.5″ height.

Apply a fertilizer… Use one that targets above-ground growth… high in Nitrogen and Potassium.

Water deeply… Apply an optimum 1″ of water, using a rain gauge or an empty tuna can to measure.

A “Saturday” in mid Summer…

120 days after the first application of fertilizer:

Mow the lawn… Set the mower blades at 2.5″ to 3.5″ height.

Apply a fertilizer… Again, use one that targets above-ground growth… high in Nitrogen and Potassium.

Water… As above, unless the fertilizer instructions advise otherwise.

A “Saturday” in early Fall…

180 days after the first application of fertilizer:

Mow the lawn… This time, set the mower blades at a mere 2″ height.

Apply a fertilizer… This time, use one that targets below-ground growth… high in Phosphorus with a bit of Potassium for cold weather resistance.

Water… As above, unless the fertilizer instructions advise otherwise.

Depending on where you live, you may need to include a few “Saturdays” during the winter months for deep watering. This is especially true if your grass variety does not go dormant.

There you have it… Just 5 days of simple lawn care and maintenance chores spread over 8 months will keep your lawn in top condition!

 

Susan Nelson Hopkins is a reformed gardener and lawn lover. She is resigned to the inescapable fact that we all must conserve water and do our part to protect the environment. But she has learned that this doesn’t preclude lovely, healthy gardens… and lawns. Her tip… less is more! Check out the rest of Susan’s Lawn Gardens. She is also webmaster of Susan’s Bird Gardens and several more gardening sites and blogs.