Your backyard is more than just a patch of grass, it is an outdoor living space. When you think of your backyard as an extension of home, there are endless possibilities. Here are some homeowner tips on how to care for the lawn and garden, as well as some ideas about maximizing and utilizing your space.
A little bit of lawn maintenance goes a long way.
Know your grass, find your fertilizer: Do you have warm season grass or cool season grass? This will determine what type of fertilizer you need and how often you need to fertilize.
Water wisely instead of frequently: Instead of watering for a short amount of time every day, water deeply a few times a week. This allows grass to grow healthy deep roots that will withstand hot summers and even droughts. Find the best schedule of watering in the early morning or evening to reduce wasteful evaporation.
Mow high: Use a high setting on your lawn mower to leave the grass around 3 inches high. Longer grass allows the growth of longer roots by shading the soil so it can retain moisture better. Just think of how hot you’d be without shade from the trees.
Need a quick fix?
If you haven’t been paying much attention to your lawn, and it’s looking a little lackluster there’s a way to revitalize it quickly. Fertilizing will help in the long run, but lawn food might make a difference in just days.
Keep pests out of the garden
While some insects might be doing their fare share to help out around the yard, it’s no secret that others are doing damage. Your lawn might develop a minor insect infestation from chinch bugs, cutworms, armyworms, sod webworms, fire ants, fleas, or mosquitoes. While minor infestations often take care of themselves, severe problems may require attention. Here’s a guide to help you figure out what might be eating away at your pretty plants.
Rearrange and decorate
Whether you’ve got a sprawling back yard or just a patio or porch, if you don’t find yourself spending much time outside, you might simply need to rearrange. Sometimes the best landscaping tip is to imagine you’re rearranging the furniture in a room so that there’s more space for the activities you care about the most. Maybe you want raised garden beds or a space to put a new patio table and chairs. If you have some great greenery or more wild overgrowth, try trimming a path through the trees and bushes and laying down a simple stone walkway so that you can get out in the yard instead of just looking at it. Even something as simple as wind chimes or a hummingbird feeder might liven up your outdoor living space and make it a peaceful place to spend time.
It might be time to upgrade the lawn chairs, finally buy that hammock, or invest in a more comfortable backyard bench so that you can have more quality time in the great outdoors. If you have kids, consider getting rid of the toys and activities that aren’t being used so that you can find something more appealing or age appropriate. It’s more than just a yard, it’s your outdoor living space!
