Some practical tips on lawn and garden care

If you take care of your garden and lawn, you will generally be faced with many options. How often should I water my lawn? What type of fertilizer should I use? How about mowing the lawn, how often should I do that?

Well, maybe at the end of this article, at least one or two of these questions will be answered and the search for lawn and garden care will be a little easier.

Let's start with watering, this is vital to keeping your garden looking vibrant and healthy, however if you water at the wrong time of day, or even often, it can damage your lawn. Remember to try watering your lawn first thing in the morning or at night. This helps prevent evaporation, so don't water when it's windy as you will lose control of where the moisture is going.

Do not keep watering the grass all the time, it is much better to water it occasionally, but very often and little. In general, an average lawn will need about an inch of water per week, but obviously this can change depending on the weather. But remember not to overdo it with the water either, if you see the water running off the lawn then it's time to stop. Many people use a small, shallow can on the lawn as a marker of when it's time to stop.

So what about fertilizers? It can be a confusing topic. There are many different types, including fertilizers for each of the seasons. Here are some useful tips, the main ingredients are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. Watch out for all of these ingredients when selecting a fertilizer.

Each of the ingredients achieves something, nitrogen helps replenish lost nutrients and aids green growth. Phosphorus is key to helping develop strong roots, while potassium helps develop roots and fight various diseases. There is no perfect fertilizer and the best way to get an ideal lawn is to analyze your soil.

This will help you identify what nutrients are missing from your soil, ask for help at your local garden howto's center. Also remember to follow the instructions, it can cause problems by using too much wrong type of fertilizer.

In the summer months, you should mow the lawn once a week, some lawns may require more than this, but this is a general rule.

If you're looking for plants that don't take that long to look fabulous, then these are for you.