Studies show that a beautiful lawn can increase the value of your property by up to 12%. This article provides a few top tips on how to have a healthy lawn all year round.

Mowing

Most people like to mow their lawns once or twice a week, to ensure they look neat and tidy. You will find that you need to mow your lawn more in the summertime than in the wintertime. Do not attempt to mow your lawn in extremely wet, snowy or icy conditions.

For the best results, use a mulching mower. This type of mower cuts the grass and spits it back out onto the lawn. This allows the nutrients in the grass to return back into the soil. If there is a build up of lawn clippings in one area, then use a rake to break up the clippings.

Watering

Lawns do require a lot of watering in order for them to remain healthy. You should water your lawn just after you have laid the turf, or when you have sown some grass seeds. You should also water your lawn through any dry spells. You can tell when your lawn is getting dry, because it will lose its 憇pring? when you walk on it. Severely dry lawns will eventually turn brown, however they do have the ability to recover once watered.

You may want to install a sprinkler system to ensure that your lawn remains healthy and green all year round. The best times to use a sprinkler system are very early in the morning, or late at night. Before you do this, just be sure to find out the local water laws, and check that there isn't a current hosepipe ban in your area.

Weeding

If you have neglected your lawn, then you may find that weeds have popped up in different areas. Be sure to remove these weeds as soon as possible, to prevent them from spreading and damaging the lawn. You can spray a small amount of weed killer over the affected areas. Another way to remove weeds is to get your lawn professionally sprayed. This will ensure that your lawn is kept weed free for 3 - 6 months.

Feeding

The amount of lawn feed you need to use, depends on your current soil conditions and the type of lawn you have laid. Most lawns require a thin layer of fertilizer to be applied once a month during the summertime. Over feeding your lawn can result in fungal growth problems, which will damage the grass.

If you have a particularly large lawn, or you don抰 have much spare time, then you can hire a professional gardener to do the work for you. The gardener will be able to take care of all the mowing, watering, weeding and feeding, as well as help to landscape and plant new flowers and shrubs. The best place to find a gardener is to get a recommendation from family or friends. Alternatively, you can search for a local gardener online.