Has your lawn been looking less than lustrous? If you have built your lawn on a foundation of natural grass, you may experience the occasional minor issue. Since natural grass is a living, breathing thing, it needs consistent care and balance to look its best. We see homeowners struggle with three specific natural grass issues the most:
1. Improper Watering
2. Improper Light Conditions
3. Pet Damage
If you’re experiencing one or a mix of these issues, fear not! Once you know what to look for, you can easily weed out each of these lawn problems before they have a chance to grow roots.
Common Issue #1 – Improper Watering
The amount of water your lawn should receive depends on four different factors: grass type, soil type, the amount of sunlight, and overall climate. For example, San Antonio lawns typically sit on native soil that has a higher clay content than lawns in other areas of the state and country. This means that your lawn may not absorb water as much as other soil types.
Solutions for Improper Watering
While it is possible to either overwater or underwater your lawn in any season or location, whether by hand or by an irrigation system, there are a couple of steps you can take to ensure your grass stays healthy in any location and during any time of year:
• Research the plants in your yard to determine how much water they all need. This step matters for your grass, shrubs, flowers – everything!
• Additionally, test your soil to figure out how much water it can absorb. You can purchase a simple soil testing kit online or from your local yard maintenance store.
• Colder temperatures reduce the amount of water natural grass needs to stay healthy, so stay vigilant in seasons where the temperature fluctuates often.
• If you have a hilly or sloped lawn be on the lookout for water building up at the lower elevations. You may even want to have an irrigation specialist come out and adjust the frequency and timing of your irrigation in these areas to prevent overwatering at the hill or slope base.
• Check your irrigation controller and make sure that you have set up the right amount of watering for each season. You may also want to consider bringing in a professional to check your system and make sure the yard receives an even watering at all points.
• Install a rain sensor to avoid watering your lawn when it’s already raining.
Having a beautiful yard can be a lot of work, but regular maintenance will help you keep most all issues at bay. However, if your schedule or budget doesn’t give you the wiggle room you need to spend on regular yard work and the costs that come along with a beautiful natural grass lawn, think about installing natural looking artificial grass, like EasyTurf, for the same look without the upkeep.
Check back with our blog next week when we continue to tackle the most common lawn issues homeowners experience and how to solve them.
