It being a desert, Utah’s lawn care, and its ins and outs, can be a bit tricky, which is why we’ve gathered all of our pro tips in one place.
If you’ve ever Googled “how to take care of my lawn,” you’re in the right place. Taking care of a yard is a lot of work, and lawn care in a desert is even more challenging. If you aim to achieve a lush, green yard, there are several things you need to do to ensure that happens. Without it, you’ll be left with a yellow, patchy, or maybe even dead lawn.
Utah weather and its seasons are typically pretty extreme. Between the hot, dry summers and the frigid temps and heavy snowfall, lawns in the area can really go through it. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any hope for a beautiful, thriving lawn.
Today, we’ve rounded up our favorite tried-and-true Utah lawn care tips so you’ll never have to look up “how to take care of my lawn” again.
Continue scrolling to learn everything you need to know about lawn care in a desert.
How to Take Care of My Lawn: 7 Utah Lawn Care Tips
1. Proper Nutrition is Key
Our lawn requires a few things to live: water, sunshine, and food. A good fertilizer containing nitrogen is crucial for achieving a thick, green, healthy, and lush lawn. Nitrogen is a key ingredient that aids in improving grass color (think greenish-yellow to a deep, rich green hue).
Nitrogen also helps increase the density of your lawn and eliminate patches and dead spots by increasing the growth rate. Regularly applying a quality nitrogen fertilizer will provide the proper nutrition your lawn needs and a steady supply of nitrogen to your grass.
2. Keep Those Blades Longer
Many homeowners prefer to mow their lawns low because it looks neat and clean. However, grass cut too low can become a little sad looking.
Instead, mow your yard a little higher. Bluegrass lawns are healthiest and look their best when three or more inches of blade height are left. Longer blades are able to cool down the roots, resist disease, and elbow out weeds.
3. Look and Plan Ahead for Weather
As we said, Utah summers can be very intense. Extreme temperatures and long, dry days without rain can turn into weeks without moisture. When you see a heat wave in the forecast, increase your watering ahead of the high temps. It only takes a few days for a lawn to turn brown.
In contrast, it can take nearly three or four weeks of consistent watering and lawn care to bring it back. Benjamin Franklin popularized the proverb, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This wise expression means it is much easier to avoid a problem than it is to try to repair the problem.
So, when it comes to lawns, do what you can to prevent damage instead of repairing it. After all, weeds and lawn grubs thrive in dry grass. Keeping your yard moist is vital.
4. Say No to the Gap Year
Lawns have a natural lifespan, just like any other plant. As the grass ages, it thins out, collects weeds, and gets a bit more challenging to care for. Sometimes, if a homeowner gets off to a slow start one season, they decide just to skip it, do nothing for the lawn, and try the next season again.
This is a huge mistake! Don’t take the year off! It is never too late to start caring for your lawn. An entire summer (and other seasons) of neglect will take several years off the life of your yard, and it becomes significantly more difficult to bring it back to life.
5. Water Twice, Waste Less
One of the biggest tips we can give you is to water your lawn twice a day in the peak season. Now, we’re not saying you should waste water and run your sprinklers twice for an entire cycle. Instead, consider splitting the sprinkler cycle in half and running it twice.
Many homeowners experience the issue where, about halfway through the cycle, water runs off the yard, right into the gutter, and down the drain. A complete waste of water.
If you want all of the water that comes out of your sprinklers to penetrate deep into your lawn, down to the roots, try running a cycle for half of the time, then wait for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the water to really soak in. Then run the sprinkler cycle for a second time (also at the shortened duration).
Slow and steady wins the race. You’ll find that your lawn will be a lot healthier and greener if you let it slowly take in its drinks instead of chugging it and missing out on a good amount of water.
6. Keep Weeds at Bay
We know that pulling weeds isn’t exactly the most exciting part of yard maintenance. However, this tedious task is incredibly important when it comes to Utah lawn care. Weeds compete with your lawn for nutrients, water, and light, and, unfortunately, a lot of times, the weeds win.
There are a couple of ways to get rid of weeds: you can pull them out by hand, or you can use a weed-and-feed fertilizer. If you opt for the old-fashioned route, just make sure to pull the entire root out, or the weed could come back. And if you go the weed-killer route, make sure you closely follow the manufacturer’s instructions and don’t over-apply.
7. Avoid Laying Sod Yourself
Sure, it can absolutely be done yourself. However, a DIY job could result in major lawn issues. So, if you want to ensure your yard is measured accurately, prepped correctly, and laid properly, you’ll want to call in the pros.
Let the Pros at Monarch Sod Help!
For more information about Utah lawn care tips and sod installation, make sure to reach out to the pros at Monarch Sod today!
Our knowledgeable crew knows the ins and out of sod and lawn care in a desert and is here to help in any way we can. We sell, deliver, and install high-quality sod for residents, commercial properties, and new construction all along the Wasatch Front.
Contact our team to learn more today!
