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The Handyguys talk home improvement and keeping a green and weed free lawn.

Now that you have your mower ready for the new season (after listening to show #14), it is time to discuss proper lawn care. Anyone can hire a lawn service, but the Handyguys prefer the DIY method. Get down to the home center, buy your weed and feed, and start fertilizing before the summer heat strikes. Listen to the podcast for all of the details.

Before beginning your lawn care program (or even if you have already started), it is good to conduct a soil test to determine that status of your soil. The results from a soil test will reveal what nutrients your lawn requires and whether you need to add lime or sulfur to achieve the proper pH.

You can add specific ingredients in your fertilizer plan or just follow a seasonal plan from a company like Scotts or Vigoro. These products should be designed for your region of the country.

Some folks prefer more organic methods of lawn care. More information on organic products can be found at these sites:

Dirt Doctor

Richsoil

The fertilizer programs will only address weeds and nutrients. You may also have specific pests or disease. A healthy lawn is the best defense against lawn disease. Lawn pests include moles, grubs and even mold. Controlling grubs will eliminate a food source for the moles. Watering properly will prevent mold and fungus.

Both Handyguy Brian and Handyguy Paul recommend a broadcast spreader for DIY fertilizer applications.

So, how much should you water? The Handyguys, and their expert advisers, recommend about 1″ of water per week. This means watering the entire inch at one time in early AM or late afternoon. Do not water at night as this can promote fungus. How do you determine you have applied 1″ of water? You can use a rain gauge, a fancy timer, or you can just put out a soup can when you water and when it has an inch of water in it you are done. Don’t forget to factor in the water from the rain. A deep soak like this will help promote deep root growth.

What is the proper height to mow for a health lawn? It depends on the type of grass. Generally speaking you want to mow at 3″ and never cut more than a third of the blade at one time.

But if you really want to get lawn care right… listen to our podcast.

Please note an error in the podcast: Paul incorrectly states that your second fertilizer application should occur before “Labor Day”. He meant to say “Memorial Day” and that is what he thought he said… but I guess recordings don’t lie!