5 UNIQUE Tips - Lawn Care Tips for Beginners, by LAWN LIFE on YouTube. 8 min 38 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 38 s
- Time to do it
- 1 to 2 hours per job
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 6
What you need
Steps
Pick a spreader with solid, covered wheels. Drop spreaders with hollow wheels collect fertilizer inside them and leave striped lines across the lawn, so check the wheels before you buy or borrow one.
Edge the lawn with a manual edger or string trimmer. Cut a clean border along sidewalks, driveways and flower beds so grass stops creeping into them and you spend less time trimming later.
Seed cool season grass in fall, when the soil is still warm but the air is cooler. Skip spring seeding if you can, because the seed germinates less reliably in the heat.
Keep the new seed moist the whole time it germinates. Water lightly and often so the top layer of soil never dries out, rather than giving one heavy soak.
Mow regularly and keep the height consistent. Frequent cutting gives even growth, crowds out weeds and pests, and puts less stress on the roots. Never take off more than a third of the blade at once.
Feed the lawn with a four-step fertilizer program and apply each step at the time of year listed on the bag. The schedule tells you what to put down and when, which takes the guesswork out of feeding.
Tips and common mistakes
Water the lawn after fertilizing and wear gloves, and keep children and pets off the grass until it has been watered in.
Sharpen the mower blade once a season so the grass is cut cleanly instead of torn.
Mark your calendar for the four feed dates so you do not miss a step.
Avoid scalping the lawn in summer, since short grass lets weeds and heat stress in.
Questions
When should a beginner start a lawn care routine?
Start with mowing and edging whenever the grass is growing, then plan seeding for fall and set your feed dates from the fertilizer schedule. Most of the work is timing rather than effort.
Why does my spreader leave stripes on the lawn?
Fertilizer builds up in hollow wheels and drops in lines as you walk. Use a spreader with covered wheels and overlap each pass slightly to get an even spread.
How often should I mow a new lawn?
Mow once a week while the grass is actively growing, and raise the cutting height in hot or dry spells. Keep the blade sharp and never cut more than a third of the height in one pass.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
