We all want beautiful weed-free lawns. But do we need to use chemicals to get rid of our weeds? Not necessarily. Organic, weed control is not as difficult as you might think. And it’s a lot less expensive that buying pesticides to deal with the problem.

The first step is identifying the weeds you have in your lawn. Use this handy weed identification guide to sort out what’s cropping up in your yard. Dandelions and Creeping Charlie are pretty common in our area and we’re regularly pulling them out from the lawn. Creeping Charlie requires a bit a sleuthing to find the begin of it’s trailing vine. Once you’ve got it, pulling it out by the root is incredibly satisfying.

Be careful when you’re pulling up Dandelions. If you leave part of the root in the ground, it will just send up more plants. One of the tricks to pulling Dandelions out is getting a good grip on the base of the plant then turning counter-clockwise while you pull - almost like unscrewing a screw.

Organic weed-control is a long-term solution.  Follow some of these simple steps to organic weed control and you’ll have a beautiful, weed-free lawn in no time.

If you feel that taking care of lawn is nothing more than a nightmare, you should be told that it is one of the most pleasant habits that one can cultivate. You would find that lawn care can be made quite easy with the use of a few simple tips and you would no longer be afraid of the term lawn care.

Many people feel that taking care of their lawn is a big chore. However, a well-maintained lawn adds a lot to the aesthetic value of your house. Instead of looking at lawn care as a chore, you should look at it as a hobby. A change in mindset is the first step towards a pleasant lawn care experience. Here are a few simple tips that can keep your lawn green and beautiful.

1. Water your lawn deeply and thoroughly every week. A six to twelve inch deep watering is usually sufficient. To check if your lawn is properly watered, walk over it and see if your footprints remain on it. This is almost a sure sign of under-watering. Similarly, bluish tint and slow growth also mark under-watering.

2. Proper fertilization is a must. You need to have a good fertilization schedule. This would ensure strong and healthy grass growth. Generally, the amount of fertilizer will depend on your specific lawn but on average, four pounds of fertilizer is needed per thousand feet. It is recommend that you use slow release fertilizer to ensure optimal absorption by the grass.

3. When it comes to the percentage of ingredients in the fertilizers, it would also depend on the condition of your lawn. In general, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash should be 2:1:1 in the spring season. When it is the time of fall, you can use 1:2:2. That would help your plants grow healthy roots during winter.

4. Mowing is essential but equally important is that you should let the clippings remain on the lawn. It has great nutrient value which adds humus to your lawn soil. Mowing should be done every five days during the rainy season and every ten to fifteen days during summer.

5. You should remain proactive about control pests and weeds. It is not a wise to wait til there are more prominent signs of pests and weeds. By then, it would be very costly and difficult to bring the situation under control. Put up a schedule to apply a suitable dose of pesticide and herbicide. Do not over do the application as it can damage your lawn.

6. The blade of the mower must be sharp or new. If you use dull blades to mow, it would tear the grass. It is essential that if you don’t use new blades, you should at least sharpen your blades every month. If your mower hit into hard objects like stones, you would need to sharpen your blade more frequently.

7. When you mow, you should cut grass diagonally with alternating directions each time. This will prevent your lawn to have a striped look and it also enables a thorough mowing of the grass. The lawn will look more even and pleasant. Make sure you have a mower that you could handle and manipulate comfortably. You should be able to adjust its height as per the requirement.

While this list of tips are not exhaustive, it will certainly goes a long way to help you keep your lawn clean and green!