How to Make Grass Greener & Healthier in Your Garden

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Are you tired of looking at your dull and patchy grass? Growing your garden is a labour of love, but maintaining it is much less effort than you might think. You can achieve the lush lawn of your dreams simply by watering, mowing and fertilising. 

Today, Liverpool Landscaping turfing experts will take you through our top eight tips for how to make grass greener. We’ll give you year-round tricks and discuss steps you can take to make your grass thrive.

 

Understand your grass

Did you know there are over 11,000 species of grass in the UK? As with all plants, you should learn more about their countless varieties. The three most common types of grass in UK gardens are: 

Kentucky Bluegrass: This variety loves the harsh winter months and can self-repair better than most UK grasses. However, it’s not a fan of shady areas and is susceptible to damage in drought and hot temperatures. 

Perennial Ryegrass: Ryegrass is an excellent, cheaper choice for UK lawns. While it requires regular maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape, Ryegrass is highly resistant against mowing and is well-suited for the British climate. 

Slender Creeping Red Fescue: A brilliant drought-resistant grass, Slender Creeping Red Fescue grows rapidly and is an ideal choice for new, large lawns. 

A better understanding of your grass variety may give you more tips for keeping your garden healthy

 

Water your grass regularly

While self-explanatory, you must regularly water your grass to keep it healthy. As a benchmark, we recommend giving your grass an inch of water every seven days for optimal growth. 

Keeping a consistent schedule will ensure that your grass has the strength to withstand weeds, fungus or lawn diseases. Underwatering will give your grass that pale, yellow hue we all dislike.

However, overwatering can be equally disastrous! Your lawn could become muddy, dry out quicker and even damage the roots of your plants. We recommend investing in sprinklers: you can set them to water your lawn at specific times so you don’t forget. 

 

Use a sharp blade

Refrain from mowing your grass with blunt blades. They will tear the blades rather than cut them, leaving your lawn susceptible to dullness and diseases. 

You should carefully sharpen or replace the blades on your mower annually: this will keep your garden bright and green instead of a pale yellow.

Keeping your other gardening tools sharp is another top gardening tip to keep your plants healthy while maintaining them.

 

Keep on top of weeds and moss

As the warm weather approaches, consider removing any pesky weeds in your garden. Weeds thrive in hotter temperatures, and, if not promptly removed, they may leave your green grass looking rather unsightly. 

Learning how to make grass greener means staying on top of the problem. 

Using a spade, dig up the weeds and pull up the roots to ensure they don’t grow back. Or, to keep your hands and clothes clean, purchase a standard weed killer and thoroughly coat the weeds to kill them, 

But what do you do when neither of these methods work? If unsightly weeds keep intruding on your lawn, a change in fertiliser may really make the difference. Switch to a fertiliser that contains weed-killer so you damage the weeds from the ground up.

A chemical-free alternative to weed-killer is corn gluten meal: placing this below the soil is a natural alternative to weed killer and will achieve the same results. 

 

Don’t cut more than 20%

Mowing your grass is more than just a simple backward and forward motion. The height of your mower deck can significantly impact its health, causing the plant greater stress and increasing the likelihood of discolouration. 

Don’t cut more than 20% of your grass in an individual trimming session to keep the roots growing and protected from sun damage. By not cutting off ? of the total grass, you can steadily increase the amount you cut to achieve the perfect height for Summer.

 

Use nitrogen fertiliser

Did you know that lawns need a balanced diet? Grass requires plenty of nutrients to support healthy growth, like Potassium, Calcium, Sulphur, Phosphorous and Nitrogen being just a few. 

Most of these micronutrients can be found within your garden’s soil. But there’s nothing wrong with using a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to encourage strong and rapid growth. 

If you’re wondering which time of year to apply your fertiliser, it depends on the type of grass in your garden. Warm-season grass will absorb the most nitrogen during the summer months, and cool-season grass prefers to fertilise in Autumn and early Spring. 

Too much nitrogen fertiliser can leave unsightly scorch marks and damage across your lawn, so use it sparingly. You should also avoid applying it during wet weather so the chemicals don’t run across your garden and into drains or nearby ponds. 

 

Leave grass clippings on your lawn

If you’re wondering how to make grass greener without chemicals, leave grass clippings on your lawn. 

The parts of your lawn that you cut off will be strewn across your garden and, if small enough, will break down and decompose into the soil below. Before long, your grass will be beautifully green! 

 

Aerate the soil

Aerating your soil can give your grassroots greater access to water and oxygen, reducing stress and encouraging growth! 

Whether you use your garden for family barbecues, hosting birthday parties or running around with your children, your lawn faces heavy foot traffic that will compact the soil over time. 

Allow microbes to circulate through your soil using a garden fork to poke 2-3cm deep holes. Not only will your drainage improve, but you’ll also see an increase in your grass’s brightness and colour. 

Warm-season grasses respond best to aeration in the late spring to early summer, and cool-season grass will grow quicker in the early Autumn or early Spring. You only need to do this annually, even if your garden experiences a lot of footfall. If it doesn’t, once every two to three years is sufficient. 

 

Choose Liverpool Landscaping For All Your Garden Needs! 

Now that you know how to make grass greener, why not try our methods? 

Give your lawn the care it deserves with consistent watering, regular cutting and top-quality fertiliser. Over time, you’re guaranteed a brighter, healthier garden! 

You can transform your garden even further with the help of Liverpool Landscaping.

We’ve worked closely with Merseyside homeowners for over ten years to help bring their dream gardens to life. From turfing to decking, fencing to artificial lawn installation, our experienced landscapers will use their skills to create your personalised outdoor oasis. 

Get in touch to see how we can help!