In the case of displaying your own home on the market: “As long as the grass is green and all one level, then you should be in good shape,” says top-selling Harvest, Alabama, actual property agent Corey Gilmore who has a decade of business expertise.
2. Fertilize, the correct approach, on a schedule
Throwing down fertilizer on the flawed time or for the flawed causes is like throwing cash down the drain. Hiring knowledgeable to fertilize your garden will price you on common $50-100 per go to, whereas a 50-pound bag of high-quality garden fertilizer, which covers between 5,000 and 10,000 sq. ft, ranges from $100 to $600. When you have the time to spare, or a good price range and determine to go the DIY route, take note of these elements:
- The appropriate day: Making use of fertilizer proper earlier than a downpour will wash the vitamins you simply unfold proper out of the bottom. Take a look at your climate forecast and attempt to fertilize the garden throughout a stretch of rainless days. Utilizing a slow-release fertilizer, you’ll be able to gently water the garden a couple of days after utility.
- Time of 12 months and sort of grass: In case your garden is comprised of cool-season grasses, you’ll wish to fertilize it not less than as soon as within the early fall or late summer time, since these varieties are grown within the winter. Cool-season grasses embody Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, bentgrass, tall fescue, and positive fescue.
Heat-season grasses are much less lively within the winter, so that you’ll wish to fertilize them not less than as soon as within the early summer time. Heat-season grasses embody Bermuda grass, St. Augustine, zoysia, centipede, and buffalo grass.
- Frequency: If you happen to’ve received a pristine garden, you will get away with fertilizing the grass yearly. Most lawns ought to be fertilized not less than twice a 12 months, ideally as soon as round Memorial Day, and once more close to Labor Day. In case your garden is in dire want of assist, you may take into account fertilizing it extra incessantly.
If you happen to plan to place your own home available on the market within the spring, you can begin fertilizing the garden as early as mid-April. With the soil heat sufficient, you must see outcomes inside a couple of weeks, and may even do a second feeding in mid-Might for those who’re on the lookout for a good lusher garden.
Fertilizing your garden will go a good distance towards enhancing the grass, however it’s not so simple as simply dumping a bag of powder on patchy grass. Hold these greatest practices in thoughts:
- Don’t overapply: Placing extra of the really helpful quantity of fertilizer down received’t make your grass develop quicker. Actually, it might burn and kill your garden. Persist with the steered quantity on the bag and don’t overdo it.
- Begin by making use of fertilizer across the edges, then work your approach in: Overlap every strip a bit of to ensure the garden is totally coated, spreading fertilizer up and down the size of the yard.
- Use a spreader: As a substitute of scattering by hand, a spreader ensures even fertilizer distribution over your garden.
3. Free the grass clippings
Save time and nourish your garden with this easy tip: Don’t bag your grass clippings as you mow. Simply go away them proper the place they’re on the garden, recommends business leaders at Scott, who’ve been within the garden care recreation for over 150 years.
The clippings are small, and principally comprised of water, in order that they received’t take lengthy to interrupt down and fertilize your garden. You’ll want to scrub up the clippings out of your driveway, the neighbor’s driveway, the sidewalk, and another surrounding exhausting surfaces. However total mulching, relatively than bagging the clippings, is normally much less work.
The one time you’ll wish to bag up these clippings is that if your garden is diseased. Bagging and disposing of the clippings will hold the issue from spreading throughout your garden.
4. Use garden restore combine for smaller naked patches
A garden restore combine, which consists of compost, grass seedlings, and fertilizer, can treatment small patches of grass.
For greatest outcomes:
1. Take away the lifeless grass and until or loosen the soil three inches beneath the bottom so the seeds have area to develop.
2. Use a garden spreader to scatter the combo on the patch. If the patch is small, you should utilize gloves to unfold the combo by hand. The combination ought to be not more than half an inch thick to stop overgrowth.
3. Water the patch frequently with low stress till the seeds begin to sprout. Don’t overwater the spot, as this might trigger the seeds to scatter. Hold it damp however not flooded.
5. Repair larger bald spots with turfgrass
In case your garden has giant, gaping bald spots, laying sod is likely to be the answer. This goes double for those who’re in a time crunch. You’ll be able to sow seeds in giant spots, however it takes time and vitality, which you may not have for those who’re hoping to promote your own home quickly.
The time saved in buying pre-grown grass does come at a price. The typical price to put in sod is between $1,555 per 1,000 sq. ft. Whereas set up can come at a excessive worth, it solely takes about two to a few weeks for the sod to root. It’s a quick resolution for patchy lawns.
For a lot of, this can be a challenge value paying for skilled set up. If sod is badly put in, it received’t take lengthy for it to show brown and die.
6. Resolve any grub issues, then deal with them accordingly
In case your garden is scattered with lifeless patches, grubs is likely to be in charge. Chafers and beetles largely known as garden grubs, eat grass roots, inflicting giant sections of the garden to show brown and die.
However that’s solely half the issue. Birds and small animals tearing at your garden to get to grubs trigger additional injury. If you happen to pull up your roots to search out greater than 10 grubs per foot, you doubtless have an infestation.
To get your grubs underneath management, you should utilize a killer and prevention spray on the garden.
Use the spray, then water the garden so the product penetrates the soil. Insecticide sprays may be very highly effective and harmful to people, pets, and kids. Put on protecting clothes whereas spraying, and don’t let youngsters or pets on the affected areas of the garden till the grass has been correctly handled. It will probably take as much as 10-14 days for the grubs to die.
As soon as the grubs have been eradicated, deal with the patches on the garden like another bald spot.
7. Don’t let weeds run the present
Weeds are unpleasant, however not all may be eradicated in the identical approach. Right here’s the way to take out three of the most typical weeds.
Crabgrass
Crabgrass is distinct for its stems that unfold and department out. Its blades may be blue-green or purple, and varieties are each easy or bushy to the contact.
Crabgrass thrives in lawns lower underneath two inches and is extra more likely to crop up on lawns which can be incessantly overwatered. You should utilize a weed spray to kill present crabgrass however to maintain it at bay, you’ll must take away the weeds from the basis, bag them, and hold your grass increased to stop present seeds from germination.
Dandelion
Dandelion is most recognizable for its vibrant yellow flower and fleshy roots. A dandelion’s fluffy heads blow seeds throughout the garden, which means a couple of dandelions untreated within the yard can rapidly result in a full-blown infestation. These pesky weeds usually tend to thrive on skinny lawns.
Dandelion roots may be as much as 10 inches deep and can proceed to thrive 12 months after 12 months if not handled. Many elect to remain pure, digging up the plant and its root. Nevertheless, a dandelion-specific spray may also be efficient. Spray the plant, look forward to it to die, after which simply pull the basis system out of your garden.
White Clover
White clover is usually discovered on lawns and even was once included in grass seed mixes. The weed has three leaves and sometimes a small white flower. You’ll discover white clover on lawns which can be overwatered, however low on vitamins.
You’ll be able to forestall white clover from spreading by conserving your soil and garden wholesome. Fertilizing the garden will assist different grasses thrive and forestall clover from spreading. To eliminate white clover in your yard, you’ll be able to pull the vegetation by hand or use a white clover herbicide.
8. Choose the correct kind of grass selection based mostly on solar, shade, and foot site visitors
If you happen to don’t have the correct grass in your yard based mostly on area and solar publicity, you could possibly be set as much as fail. Discover the correct grass in your yard based mostly on area, in addition to your plant hardiness zone.
