A lush, green lawn is a desirable feature in every yard. But this can only be achieved if you care for it regularly, throughout the year. Use the following tips to create a beautiful lawn that will make you and your family proud.

1. Rake your yard

This removes fallen leaves, dead grass, wood chips, and other types of debris. After raking the lawn, you will be able to see all the areas that are worn out, overgrown or bare. Raking also allows fresh grass to grow faster and boosts the soil contact during seeding. Here are some ways to get the job done without damaging the grass:
• Use the appropriate type of rake for the season;
• Only use a power rake to de-thatch your lawn after a long period of neglect;
• Use hand rakes as much as you can to preserve the health of your garden;
• Rake leaves when the soil is dry. Raking when the ground is muddy and soft increases the risk of pulling out healthy grass crowns.

2. Do a soil test

Test the soil beneath your lawn to get valuable data about the nutrient and pH levels. Remember that excessive acidity or alkalinity can lead to weak growth. You can use a do-it-yourself kit to determine the pH levels. Get one at your neighborhood garden center. If you discover that your soil has excess acidity, you can add lime and if it is alkaline, adding some sulfur can help to neutralize the low pH levels.

3. Fertilize the soil

While cutting the grass is essential, it also leads to nutrient loss. The vitamins are stored in the grass leaves, and each time you cut them, you deplete the nutrient store. Therefore, these nutrients need to be replenished for consistent growth. From the beginning of spring, you can fertilize your lawn once a month. Use lawn fertilizers that contain phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen.

4. Prepare the garden for winter

Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn as it helps the soil prepare the grass for winter. You can use a fertilizer that releases nutrients into the soil gradually so the grass will continue to look great for several months. When you are strengthening the soil for the cold months, ensure that the fertilizer is spread evenly across the lawn.
Additionally, you should also make sure that you don’t allow rats to thrive. These nasty rodents love overgrown areas and places with piles of wood. So keep the lawn trimmed, clear all grass clippings and don’t leave cardboard, paper and other kinds of junk lying around in your yard.

5. Trim lawn overgrowth

Cutting your lawn helps thicken the grass. To keep your garden healthy, it’s best to cut a little grass regularly. When mowing, you can use the following tips:
• Change the pattern and direction of mowing for each new cutting session;
• Aim to reduce the stem to about 2 inches each time you cut;
• Keep the grass a little longer during summer so it can withstand the heat without drying up.

6. Provide adequate water

To keep your lawn looking lush and green, you need to water it regularly. The frequency of watering depends on the weather, humidity, and temperature. During the hot summer months, you should water it more often to make up for the water loss caused by intense summer heat. Although this activity should be reserved for the early morning hours or in the early evening. As soon as the grass starts getting dehydrated, they will have a blue-gray tint, or the leaf blades will start curling up.
However, if your lawn is new, you need to water it at least once a day to aid germination and build strong roots. You may use a hand watering can for a small lawn while bigger gardens would require a partial or fully automated watering system.

7. Control the spread of weeds

Weeds can choke the grass and use up the soil nutrients, but there are several weeding techniques you can try to get rid of them quickly:
• Remove the big ones with a weed eater machine;
• Use a manual scarifier to take out small weeds like white clover and veronicas;
• Take dandelions and daisies out with a root weeder to stop regrowth;
• Avoid leaving spaces for weeds when you are growing new grass.

8. Aerate the soil

It’s essential to allow your grassroots to get as much air as possible. If the ground does not have adequate sandy soil for the roots to receive enough air, it could lead to stunted growth. So, use a digging fork to stamp holes in the lawn and put some coarse sand in them. Water from the surface will flow into the holes and all the roots to receive more oxygen. When you notice a lot of dead roots, you may need to use a mechanical rake to de-thatch the lawn.

Those are some of the essential steps you should take towards keeping your lawn looking good throughout the year. Take time to add these activities to your regular yard maintenance routine, and you will not be disappointed with the results.