Are you a lawn care newbie? Maybe you’re a first-time homeowner, or you finally took the exciting plunge and had turf installed in your yard. If you’re looking for information on how to care for your lawn as a beginner, you’re in the right place! We’ve compiled some of the most common lawn care queries to help you get started on the right foot.

How do you prepare the ground for a new lawn as a beginner?

Preparing Your Soil For New Grass

Clear & Rake: You will need to clear the area of any plants or debris. After tilling, you will need to rake the soil to remove any sticks and clumps of old grass.

Aerate: Soil should be light and airy so the narrow grassroots are able to penetrate it.

Create Drainage: Your lawn should slope gently downward, away from the house or building.

Add Soil Amendments: Test your soil to see if it’s well-balanced. Choose organic composts, or “soil amendments,” such as hay, straw, manure, peat moss, or organic commercial blends. Unlike chemical fertilizer, these nitrogen-rich compounds break down over time and gradually release nutrients into the soil.

Irrigate: Make a plan for how you’ll keep your new lawn watered, whether you choose to install sprinklers or water manually. You will also need to moisten the lawn before sod is installed. Be sure to check with your turf installer, as they may choose to do that themselves.

Can you just sprinkle grass seed on the lawn?

While you certainly can toss grass seed on your lawn, you probably won’t be very pleased with the results. If you want to start off with a healthy lawn, there’s a simple solution. The easiest way is to carefully choose your turf variety and have your lawn professionally installed. If you’re determined to grow your lawn from scratch, that’s fine. Just be aware that you’ll need to put in a lot more time and effort than simply sprinkling seed on the ground!

If you just toss the grass seed onto the soil, you will end up with poor germination. Yes, the seeds will sprout if just thrown on the surface of the dirt. However, there are negative effects of planting the seed in that fashion. Over time, the quality of the grass will diminish because it is not rooted in the right fashion and will stop growing. Basically, grass won’t grow well without maintenance completed prior to planting if it’s just thrown on the ground. It will be a waste of time and investment.

When should I start work on my lawn?

Caring for your lawn as a beginner means knowing when to start your annual maintenance. Weather varies from year to year and depends greatly on where you live. That means there’s no specific day you can single out as the best time to start spring lawn maintenance. But there are some signs that you can look for to help decide when to start.

• The grass and soil should be completely thawed.
• There shouldn’t be any standing water or muddy areas on the lawn.
• Average temperatures should be consistently above 40˚ F.
• Grass should have started actively growing.

Waiting until this point to start lawn care will help protect the delicate, new grass shoots from damage. It will also safeguard the grass roots from trampling and infection.

How do I prepare my lawn for spring?

Preparing Your Lawn As A Beginner

Clean and clear: Clean up any leaves, twigs, or other debris that have gathered on your lawn over the winter.

Apply fertilizer and weed killer: Early in spring, you should use a combination of fertilizer, which feeds your grass, and pre-emergent, an herbicide that prevents crabgrass. Then, six to eight weeks later, apply both products again, along with weed killer. Many lawn care brands offer a combination of pre-emergent and weed killer in one product. This will lower your cost and application time.

Mow early and often: Mow every five days for the first six weeks of spring, depending on the weather, to ensure a thicker, fuller lawn. That way you won’t accidentally trim the lawn too close to the grass root.

Is it worth it to hire a professional service for your lawn as a beginner?

Lawns can be a lot of work. If you’re maintaining your lawn as a beginner, that may be a bigger commitment than you had in mind. Unless you’ll carefully research lawn care and dedicate time to weekly care, it’s best to invest in a good lawn service. The pros of hiring a lawn care service will likely far outweigh the cons. Cost may be one of your biggest concerns in hiring a professional. However, with the right company, you can actually end up saving money and preventing costly mistakes. And you’ll have a nicer lawn to enjoy year-round!

What happens if a lawn is not mowed?

Infrequent mowing hurts the grass when you do cut it. The longer the blades of grass, the more resources are used to grow, and the higher the root will be. If you then cut the grass by a few inches all at once, it’s going to be shocked. This could kill your grass or require additional irrigation to recover. Too tall grass will become thin, with some blades growing much taller than others for an inconsistent appearance.

After long periods without mowing, grass may go to seed, causing the blades to look more like weeds than grass. In addition to decreased curb appeal, excessively tall grass puts the homeowner at risk for complaints. That’s because many cities have ordinances that require homeowners to keep the lawn mowed.

How long does it take to get a good lawn as a beginner?

Here’s a secret you might not know if you’re caring for your lawn as a beginner: you can start with a perfect lawn, which makes it a lot easier to maintain! If you start with the pros at The Turfgrass Group, we’ll help you choose the perfect grass for your property. And when you start with an expertly installed lawn with the grass that’s best suited for your property, it’ll be much easier to maintain that lush, green look. Other than that, a good lawn takes a lot of preparation and ongoing maintenance.

How can I make my grass greener and thicker?

The very first step to a green lush lawn? The turf variety! If you start with a beautiful turf variety, such as Zeon® Zoysiagrass, it will be that much easier to maintain the lawn of your dreams. You’ll also want to maintain healthy soil to nourish your lawn and stick to routine maintenance. That means year-round and season-specific care.

Getting started on lawn care

The most important advice for caring for your lawn as a beginner is to remember it’s called yard WORK for a reason! Be prepared that there aren’t many shortcuts when it comes to quality lawn care. The easiest options for a beautiful lawn involve professional turf installation and professional lawn care service. If you’re looking to go it alone, check out our tips for achieving a perfect lawn.