Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

You’ve dreamt of a giant lawn with lush, green grass for years, ever since you moved from your parents’ home to the small apartment that occupied your twenties. Now that you have a house, you have a yard. There’s only one problem: it’s not the verdant landscape you imagined, or at least, it won’t be for long. That’s because a lawn takes work, maintenance and care to remain lively and beautiful. You can’t simply wish for green grass or blame Mother Nature when it turns brown; you have to create it. And that starts from the ground up.

Soil is the most important aspect of your lawn. If it is healthy, the grass will be healthy. If the grass is healthy, so is everything else. The first thing you want to do is aerate the soil at least once a year. Compacted soil will allow for nothing to grow and few if any biological processes to take place. Once aerated you want to mulch (every time you mow) and consider applying a thin layer of organic material, like compost, every spring. It’s important that you use organic materials, as you want to keep your soil as natural as possible. This will ensure that it continues to get all of the nutrients it needs and that you don’t have to add an excessive amount of extra nutrients, only those absolutely necessary like nitrogen phosphorous and potassium. To understand what does need to be added, have your soil tested to determine the pH level.

Once you have healthy soil, you can focus on healthy grass. Start by doing some research. Learn what grass is best for your region, your climate and your soil. Buying the wrong kind will only result in a dead lawn, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid. Choose a hardy variety that can withstand the elements most common in your area. But don’t make it withstand them alone. You have to care for your grass. You have to fertilize and mow it. The key to mowing is knowing what the right height is. In areas that are warmer, such as Austin, you want to keep grass at 1-1.5 inches. Cooler climates would require slightly higher grass.

Having established healthy soil and green grass, you will want to maintain both, and that involves watering. But you have to be careful. There is a fine line both between too much watering and just enough, and too little watering and just enough. You want to give your lawn a good, deep, healthy soak whenever the soil starts to dry out. You do not want to sprinkle it every day. That will only do good if you have seedlings, which need to be regularly moist to germinate.

If you are in a drought, you still need to water, but you can’t do so to excess as the entire city is without water. So be sure to water only when necessary and to do so mindfully. Don’t turn on the sprinklers and walk away for a few hours. Take your hose, water what has dried out the most, and save what is still moist until later. This should keep your yard green and you within the bounds of drought rules.

Occasionally, brown spots will appear. This could be due to bugs or disease. Check your lawn periodically to avoid infestation. If you have infestation, get rid of it as quickly as possible, doing whatever you must – calling a professional or taking on the arduous task of eliminating it yourself – just be sure to nip it in the bud before your entire lawn is a brown patch.

You’ve waited years for your yard. Don’t wait years to make it beautiful. Take care of it today and see your dreams of green gardens, green lawns and green landscape come true.