What Is The Secret To A Great Yard Or Garden

10-SECRETS-TO-THE-PERFECT-LAWN

I'm not sure about you but I love green grass and when it is soft under your foot it is even better. Well I have 10 secrets that the turf-grass specialists have come up with to make sure your grass is greener. I use them and they work a treat!

If you have investment property in Australia there are tips and tricks you can do to make sure your lawn doesn't die under the tenants watch.

1. Mow frequently with sharp blades
Frequent cutting forces your grass to grow thick and it also helps keep out those nasty weeds and by having sharp blades you aren't beating your grass you are swiftly cutting it. If you have an investment property perhaps provide a lawn mower with the property, to get the tenants mowing regularly you can put this into the contract, a good property manager will work this out with you.

2. Don't mow it too short
You want to make sure your grass looks trimmed but not too short, it does depend on the grass type but a standard rule is the 'one-third rule' never cut more than one-third off the height of your grass.

3. Don't mow a wet lawn
Mowing when the lawn is wet will compact the soil which means your roots won't be able to breathe. When this happens your grass dies and you'll start to see bald spots.  If you are providing a lawn mower with your investment property you can out a warning label to say 'Don't mow when wet' as a preventative measure.

4. Mulch clippings into the lawn
If you leave the clippings where they lie it will turn into a fertiliser for the soil and as a bonus less work for you – no bagging or dumping the clippings. There won't be many clippings if you now frequently. If you have tenants in your investment property then give them an instruction guide to help.

5. Water deeply – and infrequently
You want to water the lawn and really get it moist. The best indicator is to use an empty tuna can, once the can if full its time to move the sprinkler. Here are a few tell tail signs your lawns needs a water (and not before!): the soil resists when you push a rod into the ground, the grass has a slight blue tinge and if footprints on the lawn remain compressed and don't bounce back. This is another tip that can be included into the instruction guide if you have an investment property (this is the same with point 6).

6. Avoid nighttime watering
Prolonged moisture on the lawn invites disease, the best time to water is pre-dawn or early morning.

7. Do not over fertilise
Excess fertiliser stimulates very fast growth which means more unnecessary work for you. You want grass to grow at an average rate, so once it is looking good just maintain it. If you have an investment property I would advise that you have the lawn in good condition so the tenants can just maintain it for you.

8. Don't mix your fertilisers
It doesn't matter what type you choose, but once you have made your choice stick with it. Mixing fertilisers causes poor results and you will end up disappointed. I would suggest buying the products you want them to use and leaving them with the law mower, it will encourage the tenant to properly care for your investment property (the same can we used for point 10).

9. Stay on top of your weeds
Growing thick grass is the best preventative for weeds, if you do find a few here and there it is a great job for the kids!

10. Choose the right herbicide
If you need extra help with weeds there are two types of herbicides to choose from your 'pre-emergents' which prevent weed seeds from germinating and the 'post-emergents' this is used once the weed is visible. A mixture of 'weed and feed' is the best option because it will eliminate weeds and promote growth.