One of the most important things you can do for good lawn maintenance is to mow your grass properly. While this may seem like a no brainer, there are things you can do to improve the quality and appearance of your lawn.

Lawn Shouldn't Be Too Short
If you want to keep lawn maintenance to a minimum, set your mower so that it cuts grass 3 inches high. Cutting grass too low can make it more susceptible to drought, insects, and weeds. That's because the root system will be much smaller, leaving room for weeds to spread. A lawn that is too short can also lose more water through the soil. Keep the blades of your mower sharp because grass cut with dull blades may dry out quicker.

When to Cut
During the warmest weather you probably only need to mow your lawn a couple times a month. In the spring grass may need cutting at least once a week. Grass should be cut before it grows as high as 4.5 inches. Avoid overwatering your lawn to cut down on growth. If you use a professional lawn maintenance company, they may be able to use growth retardants. Fertilizing grass in the summer or fall instead of spring can also slow growth.

Leave Lawn Clippings
You don't have to spend a lot of time bagging grass clippings. You can leave grass clippings to help soil get more nutrients. The clippings also can help your lawn retain water and cut down on the need for fertilizer. Leaving clippings can also cut the amount of time you spend on lawn maintenance by 30 to 35 percent.

Sources:
Cornell University
Passaic County Office of Natural Resource Programs

If you use a lawn service, insist that they use an edger, not a trimmer, to edge your lawn. If you cut your own grass and don't own an edger, use a straight-edge spade to cut a defined edge where your lawn meets the sidewalk or driveway at the beginning of the season, and redefine it every month or so. When trimming, hold the trimmer at an angle, and make sure that at the lower edge, the trimmer string is hitting the top edge of the sidewalk or driveway. This can protect the grass and keep dirt from getting kicked up.

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If you live in an area where regular snowfall is normal, then you are going to want to make sure that your winter law care strategy involves keeping your grass free of clutter and debris before the first snow should fall. Proper lawn maintenance in preparation for the first winter snow involves removing sticks, raking away the leaves and disposing of any other debris that should not be on your yard, before they end up buried beneath the snow.

Even if you are not exactly expending a great deal of snowfall, it is still vital that you make sure that your grass is free to breathe rather than left buried beneath piles of leaves, sticks and other rubbish. This rubbish can interfere with the grass needing to receive proper air, proper nutrients and proper moisture which is why it is so important that you clean up your yard before the first snowfall. Your grass may not be growing during this period of time, but if left buried for too long, it can still end up dying during the winter season.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that the summer is the most important season when it comes to controlling and preventing the growth of weeds. The opposite, however, is actually true because weed control is most important during the winter season. Weeds actually grow much more quickly during the winter than your grass can. If the weeds are allowed to grow without any control, your lawn may be dead by the time the spring runs around.

Because your lawn will be growing so slowly during the fall and winter season, it is rather simple to find the weeds that are growing during this time. All you have to do is make sure that you pay attention to your grass during these months, pulling weeds or applying weed killer as needed so that the weeds do not overrun the lawn, ruining your landscaping during the colder season.

If you plan on planting winter grass varieties like rye grass, then these will have the best chance of thriving when planted in October, which is the best time for them to take root. Make sure that your newly planted grass seeds get plenty of water even when the weather is chilly outside.

Ground ivy is a perennial plant and thrives in moist, shady areas, so it’s safe to say that ground ivy is having a banner year. Ground ivy is a member of the mint family and produces a minty odor when cut or crushed. I have two neighbors with a healthy crop of ground ivy, and by smell alone I know when they are mowing the lawn.

GROUND IVY CONTROL STRATEGIES

NON-CHEMICAL CONTROL If you have a small amount of ground ivy, you can try hand-pulling. It most likely will continue to reappear, but with persistence, small amounts can be controlled. In flower and vegetable gardens, hand-pulling, hoeing and persistence is the best way to control ground ivy. In the lawn, maintaining a dense, healthy turf will prevent the undesirables from competing with the grass. In shaded areas, ground ivy will almost always win out over grass. One can also try to reduce the shade and/or soil moisture to promote growth of turf.

CHEMICAL CONTROL The most effective way of controlling ground ivy in the lawn is with a post-emergence broadleaf herbicide. As with any pesticide, always read and follow the label directions. For many years, dicamba was regarded as the most effective herbicide in controlling ground ivy. However, research at Purdue University found that a good nitrogen fertility program (3 to 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year) and the use of herbicide products containing 2,4-D or triclopyr are more effective on ground ivy.

Herbicide applications on ground ivy are most effective in the fall (between mid-September and November 1.) At least two applications are usually required, with the second application 28 days after the first.

For lawn areas that are heavily infested with ground ivy and contain little grass, it may be more practical to completely destroy all growth in the area. This can be accomplished by using the non-selective herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) or by tilling and removing the plant debris. The turf can then be reestablished by seeding or sodding.

The research at Purdue also discovered another interesting finding. They took samples of ground ivy from 9 populations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Through DNA analysis, they found 52 different genotypes of ground ivy in these samples from the 9 populations. The results of testing different herbicides on these different types of ground ivy concluded that populations of ground ivy vary in their susceptibility to broadleaf herbicides.

For example, one population of ground ivy may be highly sensitive to 2,4-D, while another population may be somewhat tolerant to 2,4-D. Therefore, it may be necessary to alternate broadleaf herbicides when attempting to control ground ivy.

Here are some do-it-yourself tips to landscape your lawn: First, clear the general area that you will be designing and start from scratch. This will give you a better ‘canvass’ to work with. Then, sketch the general look that you would like to have for your garden. Make a list of the plants, trees and shrubs that you can plant. When deciding on the type of plants, make sure that there will be a plant which will flower or bloom for each season of the year – winter, spring, summer and fall. For example, perennial flowers will bloom in May, but after that it will just look like an ordinary plant. Having a plant which blooms in a different time of the year would make your garden have a focal point even when other plant variants are not in season.

As much as possible, make a layered planting bed. At the back row which is the farthest from your house, plant the variants which grow the tallest. This will serve as the base of your landscaping. In the middle and front rows, put the shorter plants. Make sure that you apply this rule in every area of the garden where you plant to put in plants for a more ‘trimmed’ look.

You can also vary the design of your walls and fences.  When choosing ‘furniture’ for your garden, like a table and chair garden set, place them in an area where they can best be viewed and enjoyed. Installing a water fall is a great idea to add to the main attractions of your landscaped garden. With some hard work and a lot of creativity, you will feel great once you look out your window and you see the landscaped lawn which you designed and built yourself.