
Thick, green lawns are what we all want but rarely do we want to put in the work to get it. Growing a greener lawn doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to know what you’re working with and then follow some simple tips. Before you know it, you’ll have a lawn that will be the envy of your whole neighborhood.
Know Your Soil
Before you can get that greener lawn, you need to know what you’re working with. In particular, what kind of soil you have. A soil pH test will tell you whether your soil nutrients are low, high, or just right. Based on this, you can find out what types of nutrients you need to add to your soil to make it ideal for growing grass.
It’s easy to get your soil tested, just contact your local extension office. They’ll be able to tell you how to take a soil sample, how to test it, and how to read the results. Once you get those results you can apply them to your lawn. A good soil test will give you recommendations on what type of fertilizer to use or if you need to add anything to your soil such as lime or sulfur.
Water Smartly
The key factor to growing a greener lawn is to make sure that your lawn is getting the right amount of water. Before you do that you need to track and see how much water your lawn is currently getting. Set up a rain gauge to see how much rain nature provides. If you have an irrigation system, set up rain gauges to collect water from your sprinkler. Collect the water for 15 minutes to find out how much water your lawn is getting.

Lawns need the equivalent of 1 inch of rainfall every week to stay green and full. Adjust your watering schedule so your lawn gets that amount of water.
There’s a few other ways that you can make sure your lawn is getting enough water. You’ll want to water in the early morning hours between 3:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. whenever you can. This means that water has less of a chance of soaking in and not evaporating. It’s also important to water your lawn only once or twice a week. This will help develop the roots and improve their drought tolerance.
Mow the Right Way
The amount you mow and the height you mow your grass to can make a huge difference in not just how your lawn looks but how healthy it is. My first tip is to mow when your grass needs to be cut. Grass doesn’t grow according to a schedule so you shouldn’t mow to one.
As far as how short you should cut your grass, you should never go shorter than 2.5 inches. It’s recommended that you never mow so much that more than one-third of the blades of grass are cut off. Be sure to mow when the grass is completely dry to get the best results.
Control Weeds
Weeds can quickly invade your lawn and keep it from being lush and green. It’s important to keep control of the weeds that are fighting for the same resources as your grass. Either remove the lawn weeds by hand or get a fertilizer that will help you fight them. Fall is a great time to remove weeds as you get your lawn ready for the next season.

Crabgrass is one of the most common and invasive weeds that can takeover your yard. The best way to deal with crabgrass is to prevent it from growing in the first place. And you can do that with a pre emergent, which will keep that crabgrass seeds from germinating. But you must apply it at the right time in early spring when the ground temperature rises above 60 degrees or when you notice trees and shrubs starting to bud.
Add More Seed
If you have patches in your lawn, you may want to consider adding more grass seed. Even if you don’t have patches, you can add more grass seed to your yard to help fill in between your mature grass. It’s important to select the grass seed in the same species as what you already have to keep the lawn nice and consistent.
Fertilize
Fertilizer is food for your lawn and if you want a greener lawn, you don’t want to skip this step. There are many different fertilizers available for both new and established lawns. Read the descriptions on the bottles and choose the one that best fits the needs of your lawn. If you got a soil test, it may come with recommendations for what type of fertilizer to use. Check the label for nitrogen, because fertilizers that have nitrogen in them is the key to getting thick, lush grass. The best time to fertilize is right after mowing.
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