If you are looking to improve your home’s curb appeal, one of the biggest things you can do is work on having a nice lawn. However, that’s not always so easy to achieve in the red Virginia clay dirt. Thankfully, we have some ideas on how to help! Here are some of our best tips and tricks for getting the greenest lawn on the block!

• Use good seed – Consider the conditions for your lawn before purchasing seed. Do you get a lot of direct sunlight? Do you have a lot of shade in your yard? There are specific types of seed for every kind of yard condition. Buy good quality seed to ensure that it sprouts.
• Aerate your lawn – Over time, the soil in your yard gets compacted, so the roots of your grass might not be getting the oxygen they need. Aerating creates tiny holes where oxygen can come in and new seed can sprout into grass. Aerate before you seed for the best results!
• Over-seed at the beginning of the season – When the weather starts to get warmer, which is around March and April in our region, you want to over-seed your lawn. Throwing down excess seed will crowd out weeds and thicken up your lawn.
• Get out and rake – Springtime is the best time to rake your lawn. Remove debris, dead grass and anything else that could smother your grass as it tries to spring up from the ground.
• Feed your seed – If you want the greenest lawn on the block, your grass needs the proper nutrition. After you seed, fertilize your lawn to give the new and existing grass the right conditions for optimal growth. Choose a fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen for the best results.
• Get a mulching lawnmower – Another great source of nitrogen to feed your grass comes from grass clippings. Instead of bagging your grass clippings as you mow, opt for a mulching mower that will lay down an extra layer of nutrition to renew the cycle of growth.
• Don’t mow too much – Always mow your lawn with sharpened blades or you could risk burning your lawn. Mow only the top third layer of your grass to keep it from drying out. You can adjust the mow length on most lawnmowers.
• Keep your lawn watered – When you water your lawn will depend on many factors. Consider how often it rains, how hot the temperature is outside and how recently you have seeded. Newly seeded lawns need to have damp soil for at least two weeks to promote germination. This usually means watering twice a day for the first two weeks. After your grass seed is established, you will need to water about once a week.
• Test your soil – Your soil pH needs to be around a seven for best lawn growth. Test your pH and use either lime or sulfur on your lawn if it’s out of balance.
• Call in a pro – If all of this sounds like more work than you’re ready to tackle, there are many professional lawn services in our area who can help. Hire professional help to get your lawn looking its best.

Looking for real estate services in Gainesville, Haymarket or Bristow? Contact your local real estate expert Belinda Jacobson-Loehle of Jacobson Realty and Home Staging today. Also be sure to sign up now for a FREE copy of my eBook, “The Real Estate Key – What You Need to Know!”

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