Thick green lawns look beautiful, don’t they? It’s, in fact, difficult to imagine how dull our lawn or garden would look in the absence of greenery! Now the question arises, what should you do to keep it greener and thicker?
In this article, we will delve into the detail of How to make your lawn green and thick. We’ll share some essential tips and strategies that will add greenery to your lawn, as also the contributory factors.
So let’s get started!
Understanding the Factors Affecting Lawn Health
The factors that affect lawn health are temperature, soil, water, weeds, and living organisms. In this section, let’s take a closer look at it.
1. Temperature
The right amount of temperature is vital for the growth of grass and a greener lawn. The growth of grasses becomes stunted once temperatures fall below 50 degrees and above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ideal temperature should be between 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You can mow the field just before the first frost. It will help maintain your lawn and result in healthy growth.
2. Soil
The soil carries all the essential nutrients necessary for plant growth. The Grass is no different. It, too, requires the right kind of soil for its potential growth and thickness.
You must conduct a regular soil test to check the soil pH. The pH must range between 6.0 to 7.0. But if the pH drops, you can add some fertilizers to maintain the right level.
3. Water
Plants need adequate water, and so do your lawn grasses. The best time to water the grass is early morning. The reason being the soil absorbs the right amount of water, leaving the excessive water to be absorbed by the sun.
Avoid watering the grasses at night. It’ll absorb more than the required amount of moisture which will result in diseases, causing damage to your lawn.
Watering once or twice a week will ensure you have a healthy lawn.
4. Weeds
The growth of unwanted plants is a common problem in the soil. These unwelcomed plants are known as weeds. The birds, animals, or air are responsible for distributing weed seeds.
Since they are not deeply rooted, they can be easily pulled off manually, or you may suppress them with the help of gardening tools. But if your lawn is full of weeds, it’ll take some time to clean it, but with regular maintenance, you can get rid of it.
5. Living Pests
The living pests that can destroy your green lawn are namely Armyworms, Billbugs, Chafer Grubs, Fleas, Green Beetle Grubs, Japanese Beetle Grubs, Leafhoppers, Leatherjackets, Mole Crickets, and Sod Webworms.
These pests may decrease the grass’s growth, turning your lawn yellow or brown. So whenever you notice these living organisms, keep them away with the help of gardening tools and apply pesticides or neem oil.
6 Strategies for a Thicker, Greener Grass
Now that you know the factors that affect lawn growth, I’m sure you would be keen to know what strategies work well in achieving thicker and greener grass!
In this section, we’ll mention some easy strategies to recover or maintain your lawn. Let’s see how!
1. Examine the Lawn Soil
If you find the grass turning from green to yellow color, you must first test the soil. It will help in determining the nutrients lacking in the soil.
If the soil lacks nutrients, you can feed the soil with a Bio-Fertilizer Lawn Booster. Also important is to see if the soil is affected by deadly pests or diseases that could be hindering growth.
2. Water the Grass
Water is essential for the survival of all living creatures. But knowing what is the right amount of water required is important as excessive watering can diminish or destroy the grass’s growth.
As mentioned already, the best time to water the lawn area is early morning. But it’s different in the rainy season. You don’t have to worry about watering your lawn during the rainy season. But you can use sprinklers to water more frequently in the summer season.
3. Fertilizer Needs
If you observe a color change, such as the yellow or brown grass in your lawn, it could be due to some deficiency. If you apply the right fertilizer, your lawn will recover its natural green color.
All you need to do is apply slow-release eco-friendly fertilizer, which is a mixture of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium, to keep the grass thick and green. Spread the fertilizer in early spring to maximize the growth.
4. Seeding Grass on Uncovered Areas
The uncovered lawn areas would look unattractive compared to the lush green lawn. The uncovered soil areas could be due to various reasons, such as poor soil, excessive or low watering, over-fertilizing, temperature, weeds, etc., which may have prevented the growth of grass in those areas.
You can apply grass seeds before spring or in the fall to recover the greenery in the uncovered areas. So you can have a lush, green, healthy lawn.
5. Mow the Lawn
For thicker, greener lawns, the best thing you can do is mow the lawn. But you also need to know when to trim or prune your lawn. The best time to mow is mid-morning, around 10:00 am.
That said, excessive mowing can put stress and can cause grass to become dull green or yellow in color. It would be best if you mowed at a height of 2.5 to 3.0 inches for a healthier and greener-looking lawn.
6. Aerate the Lawn
One of the best ways to achieve a lush green lawn is to aerate the lawn. ‘Aerating’ means digging a small hole that loosens the soil for better air, water, and nutrient circulation to reach it reaches the roots.
If your lawn is deficient in nutrients and other elements, aerating could help turn your dull lawn into a lush green lawn.
Watering Techniques for a Lush Lawn
There are a few watering techniques you should follow if you are looking to have a lush green lawn. Here are some of them.
- Water the lawn twice a week during the summer.
- Water frequently only in the dry months.
- You can water less frequently during rainy seasons.
- Take the help of rotating lawn sprinklers for even distribution of water.
- The early morning is the best time to water your lawn.
How to Deal with Grass in the Summer Heat?
Summer brings with it extra heat. So you need to take extra care to keep your lawn green and thick at this time of the year. Here are a few steps you can take.
- You need to mow the grass at the right height, i.e., 2.5 to 3.0 inches, for a healthier lawn.
- Water the grasses adequately; use garden tools such as sprinkles, hose nozzles, garden faucets, etc., depending on the size of your lawn.
- Remove the weeds, and apply weed control solutions.
- Treat pests and diseases with pesticides or organic neem oil treatment.
- Fertilize warm-season grasses that work best for summer.
How to Keep Grass Green Naturally?
There are steps needed to keep the grass naturally green. In this section, let’s see how to achieve it easily.
- Avoid over-mowing the lawn. It can be detrimental to the healthy growth of grasses.
- Keep the soil pH in check and add the nutrients it requires.
- Water the grass depending on the season. The summer seasons, for example, would require more water than winters.
- A thin layer of organic compost can boost the growth of grass.
- Suppress or pull the weeds out for a healthy, thicker lawn.
Manage the Weeds and Pests on Your Lawn
Pests and weeds grow easily and are something that would hinder the growth of grass and other plants. If you are looking to have a lush green lawn, you would need to manage these unwanted weeds and pests.
Let’s find out how to do it.
In Managing Weeds
- Organic mulches will manage weeds’ growth.
- Plucking the weeds manually.
- Using commercial weed controllers.
- The use of iron or vinegar can dry out the weeds faster.
In Managing Pests
- Use chemicals in managing pests, such as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.
- Introducing turfgrass for healthy lawn growth to keep pests at bay.
- Spraying homemade neem oil works well in managing pests.
FAQ’s
To make the grass green in a week, you must include fertilizer, watering twice a week, and lawn weeding.
The best chemical that makes the grass green is milorganite, a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.
One of the best ways to treat dry grass is through aeration. It provides the proper circulation of air, nutrient, and water the grass needs to grow healthier.
The grass may die due to less or over-watering. Another reason that can harm the grass is excessive mulching.
Yes, you can turn the yellow grass green. For this, you need to add supplements such as nitrogen or iron, which can help in restoring the green color of the grass.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve discussed the various factors affecting lawn health and also shared some important strategies to help you have thicker, green grass.
If you follow the abovementioned techniques, you will surely end up having a healthy and greener-looking lawn.
Is there any point we missed out on? Do let us know in the comments below. Would love to hear from you!
Happy Gardening!