5 Tips to Make Your Yard the Greenest on the Block and Keep It That Way

Blogging From The Desk of Alicia Lagarde-Craig

Transform a so-so lawn into the kind of lush, green expanse any neighbor would envy. Five simple tips can help you get there:

1.Give it some air: Each spring, when the soil temperature is above 65 F, aerate your lawn. You do this with an aerator, a machine that punches small holes into your soil to let air, water and nutrients reach the grass roots. Many hardware and home improvement stores offer aerators for rent.

2.Mow often, stay sharp and follow the "one-third rule": Mowing stimulates growth. So the more you mow, the faster and thicker the grass will grow, choking out weeds. Be sure to check your lawnmower's blades, and have them sharpened at your local hardware store when they begin to dull. Dull blades that don't cut cleanly can leave grass damaged and more vulnerable to disease. For a healthier, greener lawn with deep roots, mow no more than the top third of your lawn's height; so if it's three inches high, cut off no more than an inch.

3.Water only as needed: Watering too often can lead to shallow, unhealthy roots, which form thatches of unsightly tangles above the soil. If you can see your compressed footprints on your lawn after walking on it, it could use an inch of even sprinkling (use an empty tuna can to measure when it's had enough). Otherwise, let it be.

4.Apply elbow grease—not chemicals—to weeds: If you use a weeding tool to pull up weeds by the roots, you shouldn't need to use any chemical herbicides, which can damage your lawn.

5.Embrace science: By getting your soil tested in a laboratory every few years, you can find out if it has appropriate levels of organic matter, phosphorous, nitrogen and other materials for your local climate. A garden or landscaping shop can help you find a lab (soil tests usually run about $20), and can review the results with you to see if a particular kind of fertilizer or treatment might help keep your lawn in tip-top shape.