How to green up your lawn fast | Best gardening tips

Why is a healthy lawn important?

It is very easy to overlook the importance of a healthy lawn and the benefits it can have not only on the environment but on our own personal wellbeing. 

When lawns are well kept and aesthetically pleasing, they contribute to an overall sense of personal pride. Lawn maintenance can further improve your mental health and offer benefits such as increased property value. It helps create a harmonious landscape as it brings together and compliments other plants and shrubbery. 

There are also numerous environmental benefits. Many people do not realize that lawns contribute to reducing noise and air pollution whilst simultaneously increasing oxygen production. These are just a few of the benefits of maintaining a lush lawn. 

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What causes an unhealthy lawn?

Despite the obvious benefits of a healthy lawn, many people don’t know how to maintain their lawns, which can cause them to turn yellow or brown. Here are some of the most common mistakes that can affect the vibrancy of your lawn and limit its growth: 

• You mow your lawn too low.The ideal mowing height varies during different seasons but during the spring you should mow it to 6 cm and 8 cm in the summer. 
• You are treating your lawn at the wrong time of year. There are specific times of the year that suit specific landscaping jobs, so make sure you’re in season to avoid damaging your lawn.
• Another common issue is overwatering. There is an optimal amount of water that you want your lawn to absorb. When watering your grass, give it 2.5 cm of water per week (including rainfall). 
• If your lawn isn’t thriving, you could be over treating it. Using too much lawn fertilizer or pesticide can damage your grass. Make sure you always follow the directions and recommended amount of the product. 
• Your grass’s health is largely dictated by the soil used so if you have poor quality soil you will have poor quality grass. You need a high quality soil to get a greener grass.

How to make my grass green fast 

There is nothing more disheartening than looking out of your window at a plain of grass that has turned brown. You’re going to want to fix this as quickly as possible.

Here are some tips to make your lawn greener:

• One of the most common issues is the presence of unwanted weeds. The fastest way to rectify that situation is to simply kill the weeds that are causing the problem. 
• You should sharpen your lawn mower blade. Keeping your blade sharp will help make sure your grass doesn’t get damaged. Remember to check the height of your blade too. 
• You should leave your lawn clippings where they are after mowing. By doing this, you prevent the loss of moisture and reduce the likelihood of weeds growing in your lawn. Keeping a small layer on top of your lawn will force nutrients back into the grass which can be instantaneously absorbed.
• Don’t let your pets pee on the grass. Dog urine is one of the most common reasons for brown grass so make sure to train your pets. 
• Give your lawn the nutrients it needs. Adding iron supplements to lawn fertilizer and applying it to your lawn will quickly give you that vibrant green grass you desire. 

5 Tips to improve your lawn 

Although a quick fix is a great way to improve your grass in the short term, there are also a plethora of things that you can do to make sure your lawn remains lush and green in the long term. Below are some of our expert tips to help you to improve your lawn: 

1. Choose the right type of grass

Choosing the right type of grass according to your soil type will give you the best chance of achieving a bright green grass all year round. 

One of the most important factors to decide what type of grass to use is the climate. Climates in Canada that see very defined seasons will likely benefit from cool-season grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass or Perennial Ryegrass as these respond best to the highs and lows of Canadian summers and winters. 

Another key factor is the conditions of your area. If your grass is going to be significantly water deprived or light deprived, you should consider applying grass that can adapt to these specific conditions. It is highly recommended that you look into the different types of grass available in order to decide which one is best suited for you. 

2. Don’t forget to add compost 

Getting into the habit of routinely applying compost to your grass will really help you maintain a green lawn. Composting is a really easy habit to get into and it is also environmentally friendly. 

Although you can buy compost from the store, you can also use food waste from your kitchen to make compost at home. It’s a cheap and easy way to keep your lawn healthy. 

Composting has major benefits such as:

• It breaks up heavy soil to allow the root system to break through and thrive. 
• It supports microorganisms below the surface. Compost feeds the good fungi and bacteria that helps your grass grow.
• It balances the soil pH to create a healthy growing environment. 
• It slowly releases nutrients to feed your grass and soil.

3. Aerate your lawn

Aerating your lawn refers to the process of piercing holes throughout your lawn that are roughly 3 inches deep. Although this might sound like a painstaking process, it's actually relatively easy as you can purchase a simple lawn roller to do the job.

People step on your grass a lot over the months and years, which results in your lawn becoming more and more compact and impenetrable. Think about all the times you held a summer BBQ, or all the kids that have enjoyed a play date in your garden. 

Highly compacted soil causes a multitude of problems, such as poor air circulation and lack of water drainage and it blocks nutrients coming in or out of the grass. Aerating it from time to time loosens the soil!

4. Overseeding

Overseeding is a very simple way to encourage the growth of your lawn. A common problem with lawns is that they are often uneven, patchy or have particularly damaged areas; overseeding can help fix these problems. 

All you need to do is purchase some lawn seeds, disperse them evenly across your lawn, lightly water them and let it do its magic. Applying seeds will help you fill the gaps in your lawn, discourage weed growth and improve the overall color of your grass.

5. Apply fertilizer 

Applying fertilizer is an extremely integral part of landscaping and garden upkeep. It’s important to know what kind of soil you have as this will tell you what nutrients it is likely to need. If you don’t know the type of soil, you can always contact a company that specializes in lawn care in order to perform a soil test and pick out the perfect fertilizer. Fertilizer is one of the best ways to give your lawn the nutrients it needs and replenishing all the good stuff that your soil might have lost over time. 

Why does my lawn take so long to green up ? 

Unfortunately, sometimes there is nothing you can do to speed up the process of greening up your grass. This may be due to a few different reasons such as: 

• Type of grass
• Time of year 
• Lack of commitment 

Overview

Although lawn maintenance can seem like a big task, if you know what to do, the process is relatively easy. Choosing the right kind of grass for your soil type will give you a head start in all. It is then important to stay on top of your lawn care routine. Seems complicated? Leave it in the hands of experts.

Vertdure has over 30 years of experience in lawn treatment. We offer different lawn care packages to ensure your peace of mind. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to learn more about our services!