Last Updated on September 22, 2025 by teamobn
Whether you’ve just bought your new home or have finished building one from scratch, you’re now faced with the important task of home maintenance, including lawn care.
Just as a well-designed home will look very ordinary sitting on a plain block of dirt, a plain home can look beautiful when it is complemented by a well-designed and well-maintained yard… a yard and garden that adds life and vitality to the home.
Bang for buck, nothing makes your home look more appealing than a lush green lawn with healthy grass and colorful flowering shrubs.
Since you’ve worked hard this far into your home ownership journey, don’t let poor lawn care downplay the hard work you’ve put into the entire journey. Below, we’ll share six effective lawn care tips you should learn and implement to keep your home beautiful and tranquil all year long.
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Test and Know Your Soil
The health and success of your grass and shrubs start with the quality of the soil beneath. Your grasses and shrubs will only excel when the right soil PH is combined with other necessary microbial activities needed for healthy plant growth. With the help of lawn professionals and soil experts, you can get your soil tested so you know where to start with the entire lawn maintenance journey.
You can also get helpful information on reputable soil laboratories and test kits you use in your area from your agricultural agent or local county extension office. If you’re taking soil samples yourself, ensure you include samples from trouble spots, such as sections with unwanted lawn moss and bare areas. This will help you know what’s lacking in the trouble spots that are present in the good areas of your lawn. You can then adjust and supplement nutrients as needed to effectively improve your soil’s health.
Choose the Ideal Grasses for Your Lawn
If you’ve visited the soil test and agricultural agent offices already, you understand that different soils support different grass species. Even your very next-door neighbor’s grass might not be the ideal choice for your lawn, as several factors can contribute to grass growth and performance. Knowing this, it’s important you choose the perfect grass that will thrive in your space while not demanding an exhaustive care routine.
Check specific grass qualities like texture beneath bare feet and durability, to ensure you’re matching all the necessary requirements before settling for a specific grass option. If your region experiences extended months of cool temperatures, you may want to choose the cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue. As for warmer climates, you’re better off working with warm-season grasses like Indaingrass and Bermudagrass for a seamless experience.
Water Your Lawn Sufficiently and Efficiently
Even if you come from a well-watered region, there are seasons when rain may not be sufficient to sustain plant growth and a lush, green lawn. To avoid seasons of a deteriorated lawn, you should create a sustainable irrigation system that takes over when the rains fail to come. With an irrigation system, you have to master the timing and amount of water you spray on your lawn.
In most regions, the best time to water the lawn is early in the morning when the water is less likely to evaporate due to cooler temperatures. You may not tell the exact amount of water needed with your very first irrigations, but you can monitor how well your lawn absorbs water and adjust accordingly with time. The best option is to opt for professional irrigation installation and repair services that will ensure your lawn receives the best watering solutions.
Feed or Fertilize Your Grass Appropriately
Following the soil test results you obtained, you may already have an idea of the types of fertilizers you need and how often you should apply them to your lawn. As a good rule of thumb, ensure the fertilizer you’re purchasing has nitrogen as one of its main components. This is because nitrogen is crucial for keeping your lawn lush, as it’s a key component for chlorophyll, which aids photosynthesis and gives grass its green color.
Depending on your soil test results, you’ll be advised on how many pounds of nitrogen are needed annually on your lawn to keep it healthy. When shopping for your fertilizer, check the fertilizer labels to determine the percentage of actual nitrogen and other nutrients in the product. This way, you can match the required amount with the listed amount of nitrogen to choose the ideal product for your lawn.
Mow the Lawn Like a Pro
If you’re not paying a professional mower for your mowing needs, then you need to do it like a pro yourself. Your lawn is too important a factor in your home’s overall beauty not to plan effectively for its mowing. To achieve the best mowing results, ensure your lawn mower’s blades are sharpened before the exercise, as dull blades can tear the grass, leading to irregular cuts and growth.
While it may seem like a good idea to cut the grass too short to reduce the mowing frequency, it’s always good to cut the grass a little higher. This is especially important for the first mow after settling into your new place to help protect your grass’s roots. Set the mower blades high to ensure the cuts don’t slash out more grass than they should.
Maintaining a consistent mowing height will also inhibit weed growth in your yard. You can also get creative with your mowing to achieve different lawn mowing patterns that will make your yard more appealing.
Fight the Weeds Off Your Lawn
Your lawns are likely to inherit weeds and weed seeds that will actively compete with the grass for nutrients, light, and water. The earlier you start fighting them off your yard, the better your chances of maintaining a weed-free lawn.
The best way to defeat weeds is to learn the nature and commonality of the weeds you’re dealing with so you can eliminate the expense and labor of repeated treatment. You can uproot weeds at first sighting to minimize their spread or use targeted weed killers to destroy them. However, you should avoid pre-emergent weed controls like weed-and-feed fertilizers and crabgrass preventers, as these can have the same effect they have on weeds on your grass.
Maintaining your lawn in pristine condition all year can be challenging, but as a new homeowner, it’s a mandatory procedure. In the first few months of settling, your new grass needs effective care to ensure your yard gets to the perfect shape you admire in modern homes. With these six tips, you can trust that your lawn will turn out to be beautiful and long-lasting.
