Getting a house is a very exciting thing for most people. You’re starting your life and perhaps thinking about starting a family. You’re constantly thinking of ways that you can improve your home so that it feels more like you. Eventually, you start to focus on more external things, such as how your home looks from the outside and how your lawn looks. Many people also have to deal with HOA regulations and such, so they don’t even get to ease into thinking about their lawns. It’s really thrust upon them as soon as they move in. Regardless, your lawn is an important part of your property and should be maintained.

When most people think about lawn maintenance, they think about pulling the string to start that mower and just chopping that grass down when it gets high. Sure, that’s definitely part of what’s happening in the maintenance realm, but there’s really a lot more to caring for your lawn than just keeping the grass mowed. Here are some things that you should be aware of when it comes to real maintenance.

What it Really Means to Maintain a Lawn

Controlling the Growth

The first thing you should focus on is controlling the growth of your lawn. Again, this has a lot more to do than just mowing the lawn. That part is important, but there are also a wide variety of weeds that are going to spring up if you’re not having the lawn maintained properly. Whether it’s from the wind blowing in the seeds or birds dropping them, you’re always going to get weeds unless you’re vigilant. You can also get other species of grass that start growing, which will have an even more detrimental effect than weeds. It will replace your existing grass by killing the other grass beside it, so you end up with brown spots and dead grass. You must control the growth.

Fertilizing Properly

You should also fertilize properly when dealing with lawn maintenance. This is important for any type of growth you want. You don’t necessarily have to be growing a vegetable garden or any types of flowers or bushes to need a fertilized lawn. A healthy, well-fed lawn is also going to spring up healthy, thick green grass that doesn’t take on as many weeds. If you care about your lawn, fertilize it regularly.

Pest Control

Have you considered pest control? Yes, pests can start wreaking havoc on your lawn, and this is especially true if you’re trying to grow things on your lawn. Pests come in all shapes and sizes. Of course, most of us would think about things like mice and rats, or perhaps even rabbits, but there are also a wide assortment of bugs that can tear through your greenery in an instant. Even bees and wasps can be considered pests, and you certainly don’t want them building nests in the ground, especially if you have children and pets that play on the lawn.

Proper Drainage

In most areas in most neighbourhoods, you don’t want standing water. This poses all sorts of hazards. And the community itself isn’t going to show up to help you get your drainage under control. This is something that is your responsibility as the homeowner, and it’s something you should take seriously. Standing groundwater is dangerous. It can spread bacteria, act as a breeding ground for all sorts of bugs, and bring snakes around. Make sure your lawn properly drains.

Tree Maintenance

If you’re trying to grow trees, or have them, then they’re technically part of your landscape, and they need to be maintained. Runaway roots can get over into a neighbor’s property and wreak havoc. This is a serious issue because you can’t see them until it’s too late. The things you can see, however, like branches, can grow out of control if not maintained and can end up falling on your property or other people’s property if not maintained. It’s an important issue.

Maintaining all of these different aspects of your property can seem like a lot of hard work. This is where hiring a quality local company to assist you can really come in handy for the long haul.