How to Grow the Perfect Lawn: From the Experts

Sharpen Your Mower Blades

One of the simplest things you can do is also the most effective. Whether you have a push or riding mower, make sure to sharpen your mower blades often — approximately every 4 months. When the blades are dull, the grass won’t be cut cleanly but will instead tear. This can lead to an uneven length and even sections of grass that turn brown.

Aerate Your Lawn

This is a professional lawn care tip that your average homeowner doesn’t do, but you’re missing the serious advantages if you don’t! Aerating a lawn (done by putting small holes in the ground) ensures that the grass has ample oxygen to grow its healthiest. In particular, aerating is responsible for creating a lush and green grass color — which is why it’s a part of nearly every professional groundskeeper’s routine. We recommend aerating your lawn once a month over the summer and twice in the spring, as well as twice in the fall. Buying your own professional-quality aerator is more affordable than most people think — our models start between $1,200 and $1,500.

Mow When the Grass is Dry

Another easy professional lawn care tip, simply adjust your routine so that you mow when the grass is dry. The rule of thumb we often hear is if you can walk through the lawn without getting wet shoes, you’re in the clear to mow. When mowing wet grass, the grass clumps together, making it much harder to achieve the pristine even cut you want.

Fertilize at the Right Times

While most homeowners who care about healthy and beautiful grass know to fertilize, they don’t always do it often enough for the maximum impact. Since we don’t know what the soil is like where you live, we don’t want to recommend a type of fertilizer. However, we do recommend fertilizing your lawn in every season (even during the fall and winter) to ensure that your lawn has the necessary nutrients to grow strong.

See our year-round lawn care routine.

Roll Your Lawn

If you’re wondering how to grow the perfect lawn, you need to learn about the effectiveness of rolling. Lawn rolling is the primary secret to how golf courses achieve such gorgeous and smooth grass — now, you can bring it to your own lawn for much less than you’d expect. By dragging one of our specifically designed turf rollers over your grass, you will smooth out any bumps, creating a true professional look. You’ll have to do this several times in the spring to achieve the texture you want, but you will only need to follow it up once or twice per year after that. You can get a homeowner’s designed roller for around $1,500 — and the difference is worth it!

Dethatch Like a Pro

Thatch is the term for dead organic materials (mostly grass and feeds) that accumulate around the base of your grass. This thatch can actually keep vital water and nutrients from reaching the roots of the grass plants. Dethatching your lawn regularly using a verticutter is essential to growing the healthiest and most vibrant lawn. However, a high-quality verticutter — starting around $6,000 — can cost more money than most homeowners want to spend. If you do choose to invest (either on your own or with some neighbors), you’ll be rewarded with the healthiest lawn possible.