How to Improve Lawn Care

Use a soil test, which can be purchased at a local garden center or home improvement store, to test the pH level of your soil.

Read the test carefully. It will tell you which nutrients your lawn needs to become balanced.

Look for a fertilizer that contains the nutrients that your lawn needs. This allows you to not over-fertilize your lawn with unnecessary nutrients. For example, soils with a pH level under 7 are acidic, and you should choose a fertilizer made for acidic soils. A pH level above 7 means the soil is alkaline, and an appropriate fertilizer should be chosen. Nutrients your soil can lack include phosphorous, potassium, nitrogen, magnesium, sulfur and calcium. The nutrients can be replenished in your soil by the fertilizer you choose.

Change the blade on your lawn mower. A nice, sharp blade will cut your lawn cleaner, allowing for a much improved look and feel. Never mow more than 1/3 of the grass blades at one time. The ideal height to cut grass is between 2 and 3 inches.

Reseed over bare areas of grass. These areas are excellent places for weeds to grow, and thickening them up with new grass will help eliminate this issue. May is the best time of year to reseed bare areas of your lawn.

Use your lawn mower to redistribute grass clippings back onto your lawn. This keeps the nutrients on your grass and will improve your lawn.

Water your lawn once a week. Watering more often will not help improve your lawn and may even hurt it. In terms of rainfall, 1 inch of water per week is plenty to improve your lawn care. During times of drought or during very hot periods of the year, water your lawn more frequently, such as the equivalent of 1.5 or 2 inches of rainfall.