Author: Alma Hernandez

Have you ever walked by a lawn in your neighborhood and wondered how the owners keep it so green? Getting back to the basics of landscape maintenance and giving your lawn the care that it deserves will put you on your way to having the perfect landscape that you’ve always envisioned for your property while reducing your irrigation times. 

Following 5 water-wise maintenance tips to help you to conserve water at your property and keep your grass growing green:

1. Set the mower to the right height. Most people cut their grass much shorter than they should, which stresses out the lawn. Set your mower on the highest available setting so that you only cut off the top third of the grass to improve root development.

2. Keep the edges of the lawn trimmed. After you’ve mowed, trim the edges of the lawn to give the space a neat, professionally groomed aesthetic. Use an edge trimmer to tidy up hard to reach areas around fences, posts, and tight corners.

3. Water deeply once a week. Newly seeded lawns require daily watering so that they can establish roots without risk of runoff. Once the grass is an inch tall or so, you can switch over to a weekly deep watering.

4. Feed the lawn several times a year. Once a season in the spring, summer, and fall, fertilize your lawn with a complete fertilizer that includes micronutrients such as copper, iron, and sulfur. You should also apply dolomitic lime every few years.

5. Aerate your lawn during the growing season. When grass gets too compacted, nutrients aren’t able to get down to the roots. Aeration, which consists of simply poking holes in the lawn with a specially designed tool, improves oxygen circulation. If you employ maintenance services, make sure to request an aeration treatment.