Why When You Rack It Pulls the Grass Back Up Again

19 Things You Should Never Do To Your Lawn

Whether you're a light-green thumb or not, it's piece of cake to maintain a barefoot-worthy lawn with these tips.

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Grass Seed schulzie/Getty Images

Don't Plant the Wrong Type of Grass

To grow a lush, green lawn, be certain to plant the correct type of turfgrass for your location. Some grasses can withstand dry summer oestrus, while others tolerate harsh winters. Northern states will have luck with cool season grasses similar Kentucky bluegrass and red fescue. Bermudagrass, centipedegrass and other warm season grasses do best in warmer areas. Continue this in heed when choosing grass seed.

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bin of grass clippings LaMiaFotografia/Shutterstock

Don't Remove Grass Clippings

Leaving grass clippings on the backyard after you mow can cause thatch problems, correct? Nope! That'south a myth. Turns out, grass clippings tin can actually help with the overall health of your backyard. And that means less work for yous when you mow.

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aerating lawn

Don't Skip Aerating

Most lawns, whether seeded or sodded, are planted over a fairly skimpy layer of topsoil. Over time, lawn mowers, pets and selection-up football game games compact the soil, making information technology difficult for air, water and vital nutrients to penetrate to the grass roots.

Your challenge: Restore healthy soil conditions that nurture your backyard. To loosen and aerate the soil, rent a ability cadre aerator. They're available at rental centers, plus some hardware stores and garden centers.

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FH03JUN_UTANGG_14 Family Handyman

Don't Use a Dull Mower Blade

Boring mower blades rip through the grass blades instead of slicing them cleanly, and that stresses the plants. Yous tin can e'er tell a lawn that's been mowed with a dull blade because information technology looks brownish on the top. Get on your easily and knees and y'all tin actually see the lawn harm. Be certain to sharpen your mower blade each season to go on your backyard in good shape.

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shutterstock_560254180 sprinkler watering the lawn new year's resolutions DmitrySteshenko/Shutterstock

Don't Water Every Day

Did you know your lawn can really become dependent and needy if information technology has too much water? Instead of watering every day for xv minutes, choose one day a week to water the lawn for an entire hour. Deep watering makes your lawn healthier and more drought-tolerant.

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Don't Forget to De-Thatch

Thatch is a layer of slowly decomposing grass stems, roots, clippings and debris that accumulate at the soil surface over time. It tin can build upwardly in your lawn and nearly asphyxiate it to death. If yous're wondering why your lawn isn't healthy and lush, thatch buildup could be the answer.

Excessive thatch buildup is ordinarily found in lawns that have been over-fertilized or over-watered and have never been aerated. Thatch buildup of 3/4-in. or more volition restrict h2o and food penetration into the soil (think thatched roof) and tin harbor illness-causing organisms that tin increment the need for pesticides.

Slice open a section of turf. If the thatch is more than than three/4-in. thick, take action.

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shade grass seed

Don't Give Up on Shady Areas

Growing grass nether shade copse isn't easy, just i key to success is choosing the correct shade grass species and planting method for your region. In absurd-season areas, you'll become meliorate results with seed than sod. Sod is grown in broad-open fields under conditions that favor sun-loving grasses.

Choose red and tall fescues for shady areas in Northern zones. Garden centers will take grass seed mixes formulated for shade. Late summer and mid-spring are the all-time times to establish cool-flavor grasses in shady areas

8 / 19

Family Handyman

Don't Fertilize Shady Areas More

People tend to over-apply fertilizer to shady areas because the grass is struggling. But that but kills it faster!

Many people really have ii lawns — the one that gets total sun for well-nigh of the day, and a shaded backyard that may get simply two to four hours of direct dominicus. Their water and fertilizer needs differ. The shady-area grass needs less water considering less evaporates, and less fertilizer because with less sun it doesn't grow as much. When you go into shade, shift the controls on the spreader so you're spreading nearly half the amount.

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Family Handyman

Don't Forget to Check Soil Wet

Mutual wisdom for establishing the correct length of time to water is to place a pie pan in the thou and note how long it takes to fill 1/2-in. deep. But experts prefer a more accurate method that takes soil atmospheric condition into account. Heavier soil doesn't blot wet nearly every bit fast as loose or sandy soil, and so it needs to be watered longer.

After an extended warm, dry catamenia (dry out soil is the key), ready your sprinkler and set a timer for 30 minutes. And so turn off the water and check the soil for moisture depth. Do this by pushing a shovel into the backyard and tipping it forward to expose the soil. See how deep the water has penetrated. Moist soil volition be darker. Your goal is to run the sprinkler until the water penetrates iii to four inches into the soil.

If the water has non penetrated far enough, restart the watering and continue to keep track of the time. Check again in another 15 minutes. With trial and error, you'll eventually arrive at the optimal length of time to water for your soil type and water pressure level.

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overgrown lawn chanon83/Shutterstock

Don't Expect Too Long Between Mowing

If you came back from a vacation and the neighbor kid neglected to mow your yard, don't effort and mow it all in 1 solar day. Cutting off some of the length, then wait a couple of days and mow again. This will cause less stress on the grass. You may demand 3 passes depending on how long the grass grew.

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broadcast spreader

Don't Skip Reseeding

Reseeding is a task you tin exercise in a weekend if you have an average-size lawn. You'll have to wrestle home a couple of engine-powered rental machines. Once your reseeding work is washed, exist prepared to continue the soil damp with daily watering for the first month or so.

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mowing lawn Tretyakov Viktor/Shutterstock

Don't Cut Grass Too Short

Every grass blazon has an optimal cutting height, and you're better off on the high side of that height. There are a few reasons. Each grass blade is a food factory of the found. Short blades tin't generate equally much food as long blades. Long blades also shade and cool the soil. That means weed seeds are less probable to sprout, and you won't accept to water as often considering water won't evaporate as fast. Not certain what type of grass you accept? Take a sample to a garden center for identification.

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mowing pattern on lawn ppa/Shutterstock

Don't Mow in the Same Management Every Time

It'south easy to fall into a routine every bit you mow your lawn week in, week out over the class of a summer. But try not to make your lawn mowing routine also repetitive. Instead, mow in a different direction every fourth dimension: front to dorsum, back to forepart, diagonal, etc. Repeatedly mowing the verbal same way volition crusade the grass blades to grow at an angle, and you lot may develop permanent tracks from the mower wheels.

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wet grass Leigh Prather/Shutterstock

Don't Cutting Wet Grass

Mowing wet grass can cause the mower wheels to get out ruts in your yard, and you could get out behind giant clumps of clippings that could smother the grass beneath. And the wet grass volition carpet the underside of your mower deck with a thick mat that's a hurting to clean.

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Don't Use Broadleaf Herbicides in Extreme Temperatures

Yous demand to kill weeds when they're growing. That'southward because herbicides are absorbed through the leaves and then sent throughout the residual of the found. When the atmospheric condition is as well cool, the weed isn't growing and the herbicide won't be absorbed, and so the chemical isn't every bit effective. Too hot, and the herbicide will stress the grass. The product directions will requite you the best temperature range. Use herbicides when pelting isn't forecasted; a soaking will just rinse off the herbicide before it tin exercise any skilful.

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testing soil

Don't Overfeed

If you lot apply too much grass fertilizer, especially in sandy soils, a expert portion of information technology will leach through the soil and brand its way into our precious groundwater, lakes, streams and wetlands. Lawn grasses only need a certain amount of nutrient. More isn't always better.

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pet spots in yard

Don't Ignore Pet Areas

Domestic dog spots are round patches about iv to 8 inches in diameter with dead grass in the eye, encircled past nighttime light-green grass. Often caused by a winter's worth of animal urine, they're most apparent in the early on spring when dormant grass start begins to plough green again. You have to replant your grass; it won't come back on its own. Only first you have to dilute or remove the caustic urine from the soil. Thoroughly soak the area with lots of water.

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Don't Discount Compost

Top-dress your backyard with high-quality compost. Compost can bring depleted or damaged soil back to life, resulting in stronger root systems and happier plants. Ane teaspoon of compost contains a billion beneficial microorganisms that help create better soil structure and texture, which improves food, h2o and air retention.

To utilise compost, spread information technology over your lawn with a shovel, aiming for a layer one/four- to one/2-in. thick. Then work information technology into the turf with a rake. Information technology's all-time to do this later on aerating. Virtually garden centers sell bagged compost. Simply to embrace an entire yard, yous're amend off buying in bulk. Don't worry about ownership too much — any leftovers will benefit your garden and shrub beds.

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Raking leaves Family Handyman

Don't Remove ALL Fallen Leaves

Did you know that decomposing leaves are actually greatfor your lawn? Leaves have organic matter in them that works as a natural fertilizer, helping your grass to grow the following twelvemonth.

According to Sam Bauer, a turfgrass researcher from the University of Minnesota, fallen leaves can fifty-fifty suppress the growth of weeds. He recommends mulching the leaves past using a lawn mower (specifically with a specialized mulching bract, if y'all have 1) to cut them upward. However, if yous have huge piles of leaves on your lawn, information technology may be hard to mulch all at once, and this tin can smother your grass. Remove those piles until yous have a expert dusting of leaves around your backyard earlier mulching with your mower.

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Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/things-you-should-never-do-to-your-lawn/

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