Six Tips to Achieve a Perfect Lawn

It can be tricky trying to find the best ways to give your lawn the care it needs to be healthy and grow well. Luckily, here are six lawn care tips to help you achieve the perfect lawn:

1. Stop scalping the lawn

Cutting your lawn too short may save you more time between cuttings, but doing so can burn out the grass, leaving ugly brown spots on the lawn. Rule of thumb: never reduce the height of your grass by more than one-third when mowing. The grass uses its extra length to absorb the sun to grow into a healthy plant.

2. Recycle grass clippings

This not only saves time and energy (versus bagging), but leaving the clippings on the lawn after you mow adds vital nutrients back into the soil once they decompose. And, if you have the proper mowing height set, the clippings will quickly break down.

3. Sharpen your blades

Once a season, make sure to sharpen your mower blades to get the smoothest cut. Dull blades tear at the grass, rather than slice, leaving jagged brown lines across the tip of cut grass. If you are unsure if your blades are sharp enough, just take a look for that brown line after a fresh cut. For sharpening, take the blades to your local hardware store, lawn mower mechanic or your local authorized Troy-Bilt® dealer.

4. Get out the sprinkler

Most grasses require 1" to 1.5" of water per week, which moistens the soil 4" to 6" below the surface. Be careful not to overwater because flooding can cause major damage to your lawn. And remember to water less often, but more thoroughly for best results.

5. Invest in a well-balanced fertilizer

A well-balanced fertilizer is one small step to help thicken and brighten your lawn. Unlike watering, fertilizing is recommended only four times per year, but it does wonders for your lawn. If you are concerned about the safety of kids or pets with fertilizer on the grass, look for an organic or organic-based fertilizer that is completely free from potentially harmful insecticides and pesticides. Kids and pets can play immediately after application.

6. Maintain your lawn

Consistent, small lawn care maintenance is the best way to keep your lawn looking luscious. If you see a bare spot, throw some grass seed down to fill the spot. Spot treat for annoying weeds, such as crab grass, with a pre-emergent chemical or herbicide. The good news is that most lawns don't need a major overhaul to look beautiful.