Keeping a luxurious lawn does not have to break the bank. Indeed it’s true that having a fabulous lawn demands rigorous maintenance or you can never hope to reap these benefits:
- Eye-catching front yard landscape
- Flood prevention (since grass absorbs water, fighting soil erosion caused by heavy rain)
- Better cooling (a well-maintained lawn can be your natural air conditioner)
- Oxygen source and pollutants trap (grass improves air quality surrounding your home)
- Water contaminants filter
It would be a regret to miss out on these incentives. But keeping a lawn healthy would definitely require elbow grease and lots of money. If you are not keen, you may end up spending a fortune on lawn care.
Read the following tips to help you reduce your lawn care budget:
Knowing that lawn would need fertilizers to prevent weeds and pests to spoil your lawn, there are ways that you can save on fertilizer costs such as improving the soil. For lawns to grow healthy, you need a soil with a mixture of clay, sand and silt. Keep the PH balance of your soil around 6.5 – 7.0. Clippings and other organic matter will help and serve as a fertilizer. You can even buy some mulch to help with keeping the weeds from growing.
Picking the type of grass to grow in your lawn can be difficult. However, the best advice is to use local grass in your area. Importing Bermuda grass and other expensive grass that do not usually grow in your vicinity is not a viable option. But if you have the time and patience to monitor and ascertain that you have the right soil to make them grow healthy, you may choose to plant them. If your goal, however, is to save money, pick a grass that is best suited in your area – you can ask for advice from your local garden centre or your neighbor.
All grasses grow, as most plants do. In time, you would need to mow them to keep them healthy. Do not cut the grass is still too low, cut the grass down to only 1/3 of its length. When choosing a lawn mower, use the one with these features:
- Provide better cut.
- Quiet.
- Non-pollutant (fuel-saving is very important as much as your environment).
- Easier to use so as not to waste too much of your time figuring out how to work it.
- Low maintenance where you only have to do an occasional drop of oil and sharpening of the blades.
- Affordable.
Some grasses don’t require too much watering, unless the soil becomes too dry. You can use mulch to your advantage. With the help of mulch, the soil tends to remain moist so you only need to water the lawn deeply but not too often.
You can also plant trees, which are locally available, around your lawn area to keep your lawn green without constant watering require. This technique is called xeriscaping. You don’t have to increase the size of your lawn just to make your place pretty. In fact, having some trees, shrubs and other plants will make your home all the more beautiful. Just make sure that the plants or trees you are planting are drought-tolerant.
Another great way for a cost-saving lawn care is to plant fruit-bearing trees. Not only will this reduce your electricity bills through the shades and the cool air they bring; they also provide fruits for you to harvest for free.
