5 Lawn Care Tips to Keep Your Grass the Greenest on the Block

If your landscape is like many, the most visible part of it is the grass.  Grass, or turfgrass, is a source of pride and often frustration for many DIY homeowners. The team at Hively Landscapes would like to help alleviate some of that frustration by providing you with a few simple lawn care tips we’ve learned over the nearly 50 years we’ve been beautifying landscapes in Dover, PA.If you’re interested in helping improve your lawn’s curb appeal, without pouring much more of your hard earned money into your landscape, we encourage you to follow these lawn care tips.

• Let it GROW! The ideal length for the most common grasses in our region (fescue and bluegrass blends) is between 3 and 4 ½ inches.  Grass cut to this length is better able to withstand dry stretches and longer grass can help inhibit the growth of many common weeds.
• MULCH it! Most professionals prefer to mulch grass clippings generated by mowing and not to bag them.  The truth is that grass clippings contain a high percentage of nitrogen, which returns to the soil when these clippings break down.  Nitrogen also happens to be a key component of fertilizer and very beneficial to healthy grass.

• Cut like a KNIFE! Sharp mower blades play a huge part in how grass looks.  Grass with white, frayed ends looks bad and is caused by dull mower blades.  For the average residential mower, we recommend sharpening the blades about twice a year - once at the beginning of the season and once abo ut halfway through.

*IF you hire a professional mowing service ask them how often they sharpen their blades- Hively sharpens blades every 16 operating hours!

• Smart WATER! If you must water your grass, water it low, slow and not too often: low velocity over a longer period of time and only when it’s really necessary. Watering this way helps “train” the roots of the grass to go deeper in search of water.  Deeper roots can better resist dry weather and generally provide a more robust plant.  Cool fact - your lawn is made up of literally thousands and thousands of individual turfgrass plants…and you thought you had a small landscape!
• Brown isn’t DEAD! Many would be surprised to learn that your lawn won’t “die” if it isn’t watered in the heat of summer.  Yes, it will turn brown and not be very attractive if there is a prolonged dry/hot spell but it’s not dead, it’s dormant.  Unless there is a major drought, most grass will come back as green as ever once the rains come and the temps cool, even just a few degrees on average.

These simple lawn care tips can help you keep your grass looking good and won’t break the bank.  If you would like help taking care of your lawn and landscape, give us a call or contact us today. We look forward to working with you!