Improper Lawn Care Can Provide More Than Discolored Grass
When it comes to caring for their yard, most homeowners understand the need to feed it, water it and keep the ground aerated so that it can breathe. However, what some may not realize is that improper lawn care can be not only bad for the environment, but also bad for local drinking water. Improper storage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can allow them to run off into local streams as well as leach into the ground where they get into the water table and, subsequently, into the drinking water.
Most homeowners are very responsible about how these chemicals are handled and stored, but some are not as diligent and allow them to be exposed to the weather. How much to apply is also a subject that many homeowners struggle with, despite product labeling, and using improper lawn care procedures can harm the lawn as well as the soil more than not using the product.
Knowing what the grass needs during various stages of its growth is an important part of having it grow healthy and strong and improper lawn care applications may provide a green lawn, but it will not be as healthy as expected. The cost of most lawn care products is high enough so that improper lawn care can cost more than whet it needs to cost.
Environment Is Not Only Concern
Like all living things, grass requires food, water and oxygen and when these things are in proper balance, the grass has a better chance of reaching a healthy stage of maturity. Aerating the soil is usually done once a year, if needed, but watering and feeding will need to be more frequent. Feeding it too much of the wrong nutrients can be damaging to the grass and is the most often repeated practice of improper lawn care in the industry.
Most lawn care products manufacturers offer a schedule showing which nutrients should be applied during the spring, summer and fall. Additionally, many varieties of grass require different formulations of the fertilizers when they are just springing up from the ground than they need when in full maturity. With improper lawn care techniques, the same types of fertilizers will be applied on a regular basis, not supplying the full range of food the grass requires.
On average, a lawn will need about two inches of water a week and the most common practice in improper lawn care is watering it too often and giving it more than it needs. Generally, a lawn can thrive when it receives the required water all at once, instead of having it spread out with a daily watering schedule.
