Do you ever look out over the gardens of your neighbors and feel green with envy at their gorgeous lawn? If so then you are not alone, the truth is that achieving a great looking, healthy lawn is far from easy, but it is certainly possible. Turf installation often seems to be a quick fix for getting a great lawn but even then there are difficulties to overcome. When it comes to turf installation Sydney has some of the best experts in the land, but even they will tell you that achieving a healthy lawn requires a lot of tender love and care, as well as a dash of expertise. Here then is how you can get yourself a lawn to be proud of.
Picking the Right Turf
Not all turfs are made the same and it is going to be important that you get the right turf type for your garden. One of the key areas to consider here is how much sun the garden gets, because some turfs really don’t do very well in the shade. Another key consideration is going to be how much footfall the grass will get once it has seeded, some are able to self repair whereas others are not.
Cutting
Cutting the grass to certain lengths depending on the time of year is an important factor in keeping a healthy lawn, something which many fails recognize. For cool climate grasses you should be looking at achieving an inch to an inch and a half for the first cut of the year, this will allow the sun to reach the crowns of the blades of grass. During summer it will be important to up the blade level to 2 inches, then lower it back again when the cold weather comes.
Wet, Wet, Wet
Many of us think that it is a good idea to have the sprinkler on the grass for an hour or so each night but it is actually much better for the lawn that you give it a good soaking once per week, instead of giving it constant sprinklings. Always remember that it is best to water the grass first thing in the morning rather than last thing at night, so be sure to set the timer or get up at dawn to give it a soaking, then it can dry throughout the day in the sunshine.
Top Third
A really neat trick to help give your lawn the thickness that you are looking for is to trim the top third of the lawn every couple of weeks, and don’t rake up the cuttings. This top third is leafy and stemmy and it decomposes quickly, providing almost a third of the nitrogen that your lawn needs. Doing this will also greatly reduce the chances of weeds germinating in the soil, a great trick that has so many benefits for your lawn.
Stay on top of the lawn for at least the first year to make sure that it seeds well and is well maintained, the following year you can expect the look that you have been hoping for.