You just bought a beautiful property in Utah. The house requires minor touches to get it to your standards. But outside is where the most work is needed, mainly the lawn. It needs to be cleared out and stripped naked to the soil. You’re looking forward to creating a new garden but also a bit cautious as to how it might impact your overall renovation budget.
What kind of grass do you need to put, and will you need the services of a hydroseeding company to take care of your lawn? The estimate is that 80 million Americans have lawns.
A Love Affair with Lawns
More than 31 million acres of lawn area can be found in the U.S. That’s how big this love affair is. And there are valid reasons for you to make sure that your lawn is beautiful and as time goes by, well-tended. Realtors will talk about how "curb appeal," which starts with a beautiful front yard, increases a property’s value.
For some, it’s all about the Zen sensation. A 2015 study indicates that about 75% of adults believe that working on their lawn is an integral part of their daily lives. The average American spends just a little less than 10 minutes per day on their turf. By comparison, the average time spent on emails and phone calls is about 6 minutes.
So you’re right in dedicating some time to this project.
A Healthy Lawn
You, of course, will have to start with a clearing operation. Here are more things to consider when caring for your lawn:
- It starts with the soil. With the clearing operation, you will need a grape hoe to remove the unwanted weeds, plants, and other debris. Renting a sod cutter might be necessary if your lawn is big. Make sure that the soil is slightly wet when you start with this process. Similarly, ensure that you grade the soil accurately so that water flows away from the house. Simply put, you need to create an incline or a slope for your lawn. Sod or turf is better on sloped areas.
- Grass options. Your location will be a factor in what kind of grass species suits your lawn best. Some homeowners, because temperatures in their area vary depending on the season, opt to have at least two species. Ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass are useful during the cold seasons. During the dryer season, the options are bermudagrass and buffalo grass. You could also layout either seed or sod on your lawn. The former is less costly but requires more time to grow, while the latter requires more moisture.
- Installation. It’s best to create segments or to partition your lawn before installation. Seeds need to be appropriately sowed onto the soil surface, and no specific spot should have more seeds than others. With sod, you need to scrape a few inches of the soils before laying it down.
Watering your lawn is the next step. And this will be part of those nine minutes you spend on average on your garden unless, of course, you have an automatic sprinkler. Like anything new, a new lawn is delicate. So you know what sign to put up: keep off the grass!
