There are about five trillion lawn products on the market today (This is an estimate although it is probably not far off). Many of them promise a quick way to get a lush, healthy, green lawn. They make all sorts of promises and come in bags or bottles with fancy words and bright colors. Allow me to save you a ton of time and money. The two most important things you can do to help keep your lawn healthy are mow and edge regularly.

There are several reasons why these two things are the first step to not only a well manicured lawn, but also a healthy one. First,
mowing encourages growing. That's right a lawn that is mowed on a regular basis is usually more dense. Also, frequent mowing decreases how often the lawn needs watering. Having a freshly mowed lawn allows the blades of grass to easily absorb any moisture that is available.
Let's face it,with the current water restrictions that are in effect and how hot it gets here in the summer, the less water our lawn requires from us the better.

Secondly, grass clippings when left on the lawn provide an excellent source of natural fertilizer. This is a great way of helping to maintain a healthy lawn between major fertilizer treatments. Grass clippings, as they break down, provide your lawn with a small amount of the three major plant nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. If you have a swimming pool, however, I usually would not recommend this. The amount of fertilizer grass clippings provide does not outweigh the hours you probably have to spend cleaning your pool if the clippings are not bagged.

Finally, let's talk about proper mowing maintenance and technique. What does "proper" mean in this case? Well, two lawn mowers get together over a spot of tea.

Mower 1 says to Mower 2, "I say old bean how are you today."

Mower 2 replies "Jolly good! Feeling quite sharp today."

Okay, not really.

The two main things to proper mowing are sharp blades and changing mowing patterns. Sharp mower blades are extremely important because dull blades tear the grass which leaves grass more susceptible to plant diseases, pest invasion, and water loss. Mowing patterns (generally either horizontal or diagonal) should be alternated to change the position of the wheels so one strip of grass is not constantly being beaten down by the wheels that are bearing all the weight of the mower. Changing patterns also encourages the grass to grow upright so that it is able to more easily absorb moisture.

Let's not forget edging. Edging is usually maintaining the grass that is on the " front lines" of your lawn. Keeping the lawn edged is the first line of defense so there is no tall grass between the concrete and the edge of your lawn. If not properly maintained,provides a great shady area for weeds to grow and pests to lay their eggs and begin the "invasion" of your lawn. I hope that you have found the information in this article useful and look forward to providing you with an healthy, beautiful lawn.