Tips for Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance
Who wouldn’t want to sit back and relax on a lush, green lawn within their home premises? A well-manicured lawn depicts real beauty and transmits positive energy. In comparison to other regions around the globe, the dry and warm weather of the UAE makes landscaping and lawn maintenance a bit hectic and slightly more expensive. That said, the benefits of a landscaped yard outweigh the hassle of lawn maintenance.
Extra attention and care are required when building a new landscape. But once the lawn matures, you will only have to follow the lawn maintenance schedule strictly. Here we will discuss the lawn care tips and benefits of a well-maintained lawn.
Lawn Care and Landscaping Tips
Following are some lawn care tips to help maintain the beauty of your lawn all year round.
1. MOW YOUR LAWN REGULARLY
The foremost lawn care tip is to mow your lawn as per the lawn maintenance schedule. It is advised to mow your lawn at least once every week in summer. Whereas, in the rest of the seasons, mow it every two weeks. A neat lawn is one of the steps to prepare your house for sale.
Regular trimming promotes the roots’ growth, which helps fill up gaps and keeps weeds out. Raise the cutting height of your mower to around 5 to 10 cm, in the summer, to prevent the grass from growing brown.
2. WATER YOUR LAWN
Landscaped lawns should not be overwatered or the roots will establish poorly. It is advised to water ordinary grass once or twice weekly if needed. Adjust the hose pressure when watering to let proper absorption in the soil.
The rules set by DEWA for landscape irrigation are mentioned below.
- To reduce evaporation losses, water your plants before 8 am or after 6 pm.
- Regularly check sprinkler system valves for leaks and maintain the heads’ condition.
- Adjust the timer of sprinklers based on the seasonal water demand.
- Make sure you place the sprinklers such that they only water the lawn, not the road. Doing so is one of the important steps to prepare your home for summers.
- Avoid using sprinklers that produce fine mist as the mist can evaporate more easily.
3. WEED YOUR LAWN
To keep weeds from gaining ground, consistently pull them out or apply pesticides where growth is very intense. Weeds often deprive the grass of the nutrients it needs, causing lawns to wither and die.
4. RELIEVE COMPACTED GRASS
A compacted ground prevents adequate grass growth leading to wide barren patches. To relieve the compacted patches, insert your garden fork about 10 cm deep into the soil. Then gently rock the handle back and forth to aerate the soil. Repeat the process every 10 cm.
The prongs of the garden fork loosen the soil, allowing the grass roots to breathe and promote growth.
5. EDGE YOUR LAWN
One of the most essential lawn care tips is to cut the grass neatly. To define a clear lawn perimeter and prevent grass from creeping into borders, cut it with a pair of long-handled shears.
This helps in landscaping and gives an instant finish to your lawn.
6. FEED YOUR LAWN
Since lawns consume a lot of nitrogen, regular feeding is required. As per the lawn maintenance schedule, make sure you use a combination of chemical and organic fertilisers once a month. Or you may opt for low concentrations of fertilisers with frequent application.
Once you have fed your lawn, water the fertiliser. This promotes new growth and brings out greener grass within a week.
7. FILL BARE LAWN PATCHES
When landscaping and lawn maintenance, make sure you fill the bare lawn patches. Bare patches can ruin the look of a lush green lawn.
To fill bare patches, rake the soil and sow grass seeds. Or you can also fill such patches with unused turf.
8. CHECK THE SOIL
Make sure the soil is always well-drained. If you are using potable water, choose sandy soil thoroughly blended with organic matter, such as peat, to better hold the fertiliser. Whereas, use free-draining sand without any biological matter when using salty water.
Benefits of Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance
A luxurious, natural lawn is a treat to the eyes. The benefits of landscaping and lawn maintenance are numerous. The foremost benefit of a perfectly landscaped lawn is that it gives you and your family a perfect place to spend quality time or host a housewarming party.
The benefits of a well-manicured lawn are as follows:
- A well-maintained lawn boosts the air quality as it cleans the air.
- A greener lawn absorbs heat and cools the air. This also helps conserve electricity as the cooler the air, the lesser will your air conditioner run.
- A landscaped lawn gives off positive vibes and is good for mental health. As the experts say, green makes people think of growth, life, and renewal. It boosts feelings of abundance and restfulness.
- A neat lawn helps you price your house faster as it increases the property value.
- Green grassy lawns help prevent soil erosion.
That is all about the tips and benefits of landscaping and lawn maintenance. Landscaping is an effective way to enhance your property’s aesthetics. Make sure you keep track of your lawn maintenance schedule to prevent it from withering in the hot summers of the UAE.
Besides, if you are on a property hunt and looking for units with lawns, go through this list of villas for sale in the UAE.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading property blog for more helpful tips on home maintenance and living.