Cleverly care for your lawn: 7 practical tips for spring

Gardening
Cleverly care for your lawn: Seven practical tips for late summer

The lawn is the heart of many allotment gardens. Caring for it is an important concern for many allotment gardeners. 7 tips for spring to keep the greenery dense and lush.

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There is nothing more beautiful for gardeners than a thick and lush green lawn. It is clear that something has to be done about it. 7 tips for the perfect green.

You might get a little jealous when you look at the meticulously mown playing fields of Germany’s professional footballers. The lush green stalks stand close together, trimmed exactly to a maximum of 2.5 centimeters. Clover, dandelions or other annoying wild herbs usually lose out on well-maintained soccer turf. In the more than 1,000 allotment garden associations in this country, things often look different. Moss peeks through between more or less light-growing stalks. There a dandelion, here blooming clover. A paradise for bees, butterflies and insects. But anyone who values ​​a healthy playing or ornamental lawn should take care of the eagerly growing rivals. True to the motto: You are the greenkeeper. Use the following tips to save money Maintaining lawns doesn’t just involve sweat, but sometimes also a lot of time.

Tip 1: Mow the lawn regularly

Grass from high-quality lawn seeds shoots up about ten centimeters per month on average over the course of the year. If the stalks were allowed to grow, an adult would be standing about waist-high in grass at the end of a gardening year. For a dense lawn, there is no alternative to regular mowing. The more frequently you mow, the better the stalks will branch at the base. Weeds can also be kept at least somewhat under control through regular mowing. It mows faster, but a little messier, with a sickle lawn mower like this one Bosch model. Here the sickle cuts off the stalks at the previously set height. These often fray and the tips turn slightly brown. Just create a smooth cut Cylinder lawn mower. However, muscle power is required here because these mowers do not require an engine. Lawn lovers click their tongues at the result. A good alternative to the sickle lawnmower for smaller lawns and allotment gardeners with a slightly larger time budget. If you have little time and are willing to spend a little more money on lawn care, you can also delegate the lawn cutting to a hard-working helper. A Robotic lawnmower comparison should make finding the right one easier.

When and how often should you mow the lawn?

  • generally between April and October
  • with strong growth (April/May) 2-3 times a week
  • in high heat once a week
  • in autumn (as long as there is no frost) once a week

Tip 2: Scarify the lawn

If mowing the lawn is a gardener’s duty, scarifying the lawn can certainly be described as a free choice. Anyone who is annoyed by moss and lichens in their own garden should do something about it. When scarifying, small knives score the ground about two millimeters (but a maximum of five millimeters) and thus loosen the unwanted moss and annoying thatch without damaging the lawn or turf. The knives also loosen the soil as they work, so that the stalks breathe better and the water can be absorbed better. Next to Electric scarifiers like this one from Hanseatic it works with one too cutting rake, Pendulum scarifier or Scarifying roller. The truth is that the latter cost significantly more sweat than the electric version.

When and how often should you scarify your lawn?

  • Experts recommend, at least once a year to scarify
  • The ideal time is this first growth phase in spring (from mid-March)
  • If the lawn has stubborn thatch, it’s worth paying extra Scarifying in early autumn.

A current one Scarifier test read here.

Tip 3: Aerate the lawn (aerate)

Like humans, lawn plants need air to breathe and survive. Blades of grass run out of oxygen, especially when they are heavily used and exposed to a lot of rain. This damages the roots and weakens the entire plant. Instead of scratching the ground like when scarifying the lawn, when aerating the lawn, holes are made in the ground and filled with quartz sand. This ensures that excess water can drain away better and the grass roots are better ventilated. So-called are suitable for this nailed shoesthat can be strapped under garden shoes.

Tip 4: Fertilize the lawn

Unfortunately, good old rainwater is not enough to supply the demanding lawn grasses so that the meadow appears dense and lush green. So additional nutrients are required. They are added to the soil via fertilizer. As a rule, gardeners do best with organic, slow-release fertilizers. Spread over the gardening year, you can also get weeds in the lawn better under control. Because it spreads happily without fertilizer because the grass is too weak to resist it. Furthermore, regular mowing of the lawn also depletes the energy reserves of the grass. The constant regrowth takes a toll on the substance. Anyone who has their lawn with one Mulching lawn mower processed, requires less fertilizer because the clippings that are left on the lawn already contain nutrients that can be recycled by the plants.

When and how often should you fertilize your lawn?

  • experts recommend three to four times per gardening year
  • first once each in April and June
  • Fertilizer applications three and four in August and October

Tip 5: Cut lawn edges

While some allotment gardeners don’t attach much importance to accurately maintained lawn edges, some use nail scissors to tackle the last stubborn stalks. As is often the case, the happy medium is completely sufficient for most people. Because lawnmowers tend to require rough motors and are not maneuverable enough, especially for raised edges, cutting lawn edges requires manual work. True to the motto: Get to them lawn shears! Depending on what the lawn edge is like and how accurate it should look in the end can also help grass trimmer or Cordless edge cutter with the final touches.

When and how often do lawn edges cut?

  • Cutting lawn edges is very individual
  • Ideally after mowing the lawn
  • The more accurate you want the edge to look, the more often

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Tip 6: Reseed the lawn

Depending on how mossy and matted the lawn is, scarifying usually creates unsightly gaps in the lawn. Here you should re-seed the lawn to close the bare spots. In order for the lawn seeds to open and grow, in addition to light (lawn seeds germinate in light), a moderate air temperature is important. If it is too cold, the seeds will dry out. Autumn is a good time to reseed the lawn. As a rule, this happens automatically after the autumn scarifying. Because the bare areas are usually quite small, one is usually sufficient Hand spreader or one litter scoopto sow the lawn reseeding. If a large piece of lawn has become limp, it can be done with one Spreader truck more quickly.

When and how often should you reseed your lawn?

  • that is ideal Autumn (last chance in the September)
  • depending on how big the gaps are after scarifying

Tip 7: Water the lawn

If there is no natural precipitation for a long period of time, you can quickly see that in nature. Lawns also dry out and turn yellowish-brown. To prevent this, you should water your lawn during such dry periods. Sandy soils in particular need regular irrigation water; ideally from the bulging rain barrel. Loamy soils hold water slightly better and need to be watered less frequently. No matter what type of soil: a watering can is usually not enough, even for smaller lawns. A Garden hose with an appropriate attachment or a small lawn sprinkler (there’s one here Model from Gardena for sinking into the ground) are the much more efficient means of choice. The only thing that should be ensured here is that the sprinkler waters as few paved areas or facades as possible.

When and how often should you water your lawn?

  • in longer dry phases in midsummer
  • optimal time: early in the morning or late in the evening
  • for sandy soils: up to three times a week water
  • Water before dry damage becomes visible
  • Golden rule: it’s better to eat rarely and strongly rather than often and only superficially

Water saving tip: The cooler the soil, the less moisture is lost through evaporation. Watering early in the morning or late in the evening saves a few liters of water. A little potassium fertilizer also stimulates the root growth of the grass and at the same time increases its water absorption capacity.

Sources: rasendoctor.de; gardenjournal.net

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