If you own a home in the Orlando area, you are undoubtedly concerned about the appearance of your lawn. The overall maintenance, look and feel of your yard can speak volumes about the pride and joy that you take in your home – and in your community in general.
With that said, lawn care does not come easily to everyone – for every person out there with a green thumb, there is another person who really struggles to keep his or her lawn looking lush, full and verdant year round. In order to help our readers ensure that their lawns look fantastic 365 days a year, here is a handy list of DIY Florida lawn care tips guaranteed to help anyone maintain a top notch yard.
- Take stock of your yard– This tip is probably the most simple; you need to survey your lawn and examine it closely. What problems can you identify? What positives would you like to expand upon? What areas are giving you the most trouble? Make a list of the areas that are overgrown with weeds, are barren or are growing unevenly. Once you are armed with this information, you can begin to clearly craft your lawn care plan.
- Never try to landscape a soggy yard – Recent rainfall? Heavy foot traffic? These factors will make your lawn soggy at its root level, and you can potentially heavily damage your grass if you attempt to clean, rake or plant at this point. If you notice your yard is always a bit soggy, you may need to install a drainage solution.
- Clean up – Once your yard is dry and stable, it’s now time to use some elbow grease and get cleaning. Using a rake, gently rake the entirety of your yard. You may not think it is messy or filled with debris, but a quick raking will show you just how much detritus is lurking amidst the blades. This step alone will do wonders for the look and feel of your lawn.
- Dethatch your grass – After your light raking, its time for the more intensive process of dethatching. Thatch is the term for the build up of dead grass in your lawn, and no matter what type of grass you have you will have some thatch. This is a problem – it can build up and prevent oxygen and nutrients from reaching the root systems. You will need to use a thatching rake to remove excess thatch.
- Aeration – Now that your lawn is free from thatch and debris, it is time to poke down into the dirt in order to allow space for nutrients to reach the roots. You should aerate your lawn at twice per year, in the spring and fall.
While DIY lawn care is a noble pursuit, there is no shame in admitting that you do not have the time, energy or skills to landscape your own yard. If this is the case, consider bringing in an expert Orlando Lawn Company in order to help you turn your lawn into the paradise it deserves to be.