A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, it is mostly the land on the front of a house or a structure.

Some people are blessed with huge compounds but don’t maintain their lawns. I have been to some homes and even schools too, have large lawns but full of pebble stones instead.

Your lawn can be a cool, soothing oasis that enhances the environment and fosters human health or it can be a menace to both, if you have a lawn that looks lousy and you have tried your best but nothing works, well let me tell you, it is possible to have that green lawn and it is not as hard as you might think

Our country is blessed to have very good soil and good climate, for the better part of the year, all you can see when going around; whether in Kigali or upcountry is all green especially when it is during the rainy season.

I mostly love the sight of Nyungwe forests, green and thick. Our pavements have not been left behind either, the sight of clean roads with palm trees and the green grass dividing the roads is just too beautiful.  Follow the guidelines and have that dream lawn.

Kill the weeds. Nothing ruins the look of your lawn more quickly than hundreds of yellow dandelions bobbing their heads at you every time you pull in the driveway.

The key to killing weeds without killing your lawn is to know your enemy.  Weeds such as crabgrass and pigweed Other weeds, such as the aforementioned dandelion, are best dealt with by using a post-emergence herbicide.

If you can convince your neighbors to treat their weeds also, that’s even better.  After all, it doesn’t matter how diligent you are in eliminating your weeds if you have an acre of crabgrass growing next door.

First things first; know your climate- If you want your grass to grow well, you have to plant a brown if temperatures dip below 55 degrees.

Fescue grass, on the other hand loves cooler weather, as does bent grass.  If you live in an area that frequently experiences very dry conditions, you may want to plant a type of meadow grass, which is very hardy and drought-resistant.

The best defense is a good offense - You’ll have much better results if you keep your lawn healthy from the start.

A mistake that is frequently made by homeowners is mowing the grass too short.  It may seem like a timesaver in the short-term, but you’re actually giving more weed seeds a chance to germinate by exposing them to sunlight.

A very short lawn is also susceptible to problems in high temperatures and dry weather. Always cut the grass about two inches high.

If there’s a problem-  First, identify the problem.  If your lawn is tired-looking, try application of fertilizer formulated especially for lawns.  Use a fertilizer with more phosphorous than nitrogen.

Nitrogen will green your lawn, but it encourages top growth.  During the rainy season, you should encourage your grass to form dense, deep roots so that it will have a better chance of surviving the hot, dry days of summer.

If you’re fertilizing in the fall, you may want to purchase a slow-release fertilizer.  This will better penetrate to the roots of your grass.  After fertilizing, water your lawn so that the nitrogen in the fertilizer doesn’t burn your grass.
Dethatching can also help revitalize an older lawn. 

Dethatching is simply pulling out all of the yard waste and dead grass that has accumulated at the base of your lawn.  It can help fertilizer reach the roots of your grass more easily and give the grass more of a chance to spread in reseeded areas.

There are lawn care companies that have machines to dethatch your yard quickly.  You can also use a lawn rake if you don’t mind a bit of manual labor.  Use a bow rake, which has short, heavy metal teeth, not a lawn rake, which is used for raking leaves.

Hold the rake at about a 45-degree angle and pull it across your lawn, using short strokes.  Repeat as many times as necessary to clear all of the matted debris from underneath the grass.

After you achieve that look that you want your lawn to look, why not show it to your friends and neighbors by inviting them for a small garden tea party- then sit down and watch as they heap praises on you for your hard work, don’t be surprised if one of them will be willing to pay you maintain their lawn!

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