Choosing, Planting and Growing Grass

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Lawn Care

If you're a homeowner, you probably know that one of the most labor-intensive areas of your home is your lawn. Keeping it beautiful takes work. During World War I, President Wilson's wife, Edith, kept a small flock of sheep on the White House Lawn to reduce the manpower required to maintain the grounds. But since we can't all have a four-legged lawn maintenance crew, the Web sites in this guide will help you become your own lawn expert.

Choosing, Planting and Growing Grass

All grass is not created equal, and not all grass can stand up to the types of wear and tear you’ll put it through. Browse the Web sites in this section for help choosing the right type of grass for where you live, planting a lawn or getting the lawn you have to thrive.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • Some of the best lawn care information comes from lawn care professionals. Remember, though, that they're in the business of selling their services, so be ready for ads and sales pitches when reading their Web sites.

Dulcinea's Picks

To understand grass seed labels …
Lebanon Seaboard Corporation offers a helpful diagram that explains the parts of a grass seed label and how to read them.
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For information about choosing and planting grass …
Lowe's has a helpful chart of grass varieties that explains what type of grass grows best in each region of the United States. Click on a type of grass for more extensive information.
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American-Lawns.com highlights the best warm season and cool season grasses. Also learn about the transition zone of the United States, and what grass grows best there.
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BHG.com explains how to use plugs and sprigs to plant a lawn.
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Growing and caring for grass …
The Lawn Institute devotes itself to providing well-researched information about lawn care. See the "Education" section for articles on soil preparation and environmentally-friendly lawn maintenance, and articles on subjects you might not expect, such as how walking on a frosty lawn can significantly damage grass.
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HomeTips offers a lengthy section on lawn care and groundcovers. Look for information about how to build a lawn and review buying guides and reports on lawn mowers, soil aeration and lawn fertilizing tips.
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The Department of Horticulture at Cornell University presents lawn care tips for all four seasons in this helpful Web site. Make sure to test your lawn care knowledge with the quiz provided on the site.
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Installing and growing sod …
The University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program presents a factsheet on installing, watering and caring for sod. There are also plenty of tips about site preparation before installing sod.
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The Rocky Mountain Sod Growers Association has some helpful advice on making sure your lawn is getting enough water; the tips can be useful for watering sod, too.
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Mowing and Watering Your Lawn

Mowing and watering your lawn are two regular lawn care tasks that require a little more finesse than you might imagine. The Web sites recommended below can help you learn some of the finer points of mowing and watering your lawn correctly.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • Many lawn care recommendations depend upon the climate in which you live, and the type of grass you have. Make sure the information you're reading is appropriate for your environment.

Dulcinea's Picks

Watering your lawn …
Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford offers some general advice about how much water a lawn needs and the best time to water your lawn. There's also a handy calculator to help you determine how much it will cost to keep your lawn watered.
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Kiplinger.com notes that the price of a green lawn can be high both financially and environmentally, and discusses some ways to be fiscally and ecologically responsible when watering your lawn.
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HomeTips is an extremely thorough source of information for lawn care. See the section on automatic sprinklers to learn how a sprinkler system works, read buying guides or study how to install a sprinkler system yourself.
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Mowing your lawn …
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has a great PDF article about when to mow your lawn, how high to cut various grasses and what to do with your grass clippings.
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Yard Smarts offers some advice on how to mow your lawn correctly (there's more to it than just turning on the mower). Don't miss the related articles about lawn mowers, for advice on choosing and maintaining your machine.
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NASD (National Ag Safety Database) presents an article filled with tips on how to operate a lawn mower safely, and reduce the chances that you or someone else will be injured when your mower is running.
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Who knew?
MSN Video has a short clip about a rather unconventional company in North Carolina that makes lawns green using paint.
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Solving Lawn Problems

If your green thumb fails you and your lawn develops problems, the Web sites in this section can help you diagnose the situation and possibly even fix what's wrong.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • Your county extension agent (or Cooperative Extension office) may be able to help you identify and resolve some lawn problems. Extension offices aim to educate the public about agriculture, the environment and human health. Find your county's office using the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Web site.

Dulcinea's Picks

For problem-solving Web sites …
Lebanon Seaboard Corporation presents several articles on solving lawn problems, including dandelions, mold growth and crab grass. Don't miss the site's articles about fertilizer, root growth and lawn feeding.
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Lowe's explains how to repair bare patches of grass on your lawn. Learn when to perform lawn repairs, the procedures for fixing large or small bare spots and what to do after the repairs are made.
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For weed control …
The University of Wisconsin-Extension has assembled a great PDF pamphlet on chemical and natural weed control methods, and includes helpful illustrations to aid you in identifying potential weed invaders in your lawn.
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This Old House presents "The War on Weeds," an article that explains how to identify and eliminate weeds from your lawn. Specific tips are provided for removing eight common weeds.
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For pest control …
The Environmental Protection Agency has a collection of articles about integrated pest management, the safe use of pesticides and environmentally-friendly lawn care.
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InsectIdentification.org has helpful photos of the various types of insects you might find in your yard. Make sure to read the article about the helpful insects living in your lawn, so you don’t exterminate them by mistake.
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HGTV.com explains how to tell the difference between a mole or gopher problem in your lawn, and offers one potential way to get rid of them.
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For message boards …
GardenWeb has a message forum dedicated to lawn care. Complete the free registration process to post your own messages.
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HGTV.com has a "Lawns & Landscaping" message board where people can ask questions or post advice about lawn care. Read any messages you want, but free registration is required to post messages of your own.
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Finding and Hiring a Lawn Care Company

If you're too busy to maintain your lawn yourself, or you'd just like to leave the work to the professionals, use the Web sites in this section to find a reputable lawn and garden services company.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • Before hiring a lawn services company, check its reputation. One great place to start is the Better Business Bureau.
  • The Yellow Pages are available online and are a great way to quickly browse your local options for lawn care companies.

Dulcinea's Picks

For help choosing a lawn care company …
HGTV.com offers some tips about hiring the right lawn care service to take care of your yard.
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Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension lists several questions you should ask a lawn maintenance company before agreeing to hire them. This article is available for free in PDF format.
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To find a lawn services company …
ServiceMagic connects homeowners to prescreened lawn maintenance or landscaping professionals. Search for professionals by type of work and zip code. The service is free and easy to use.
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1-800-LawnCare.com searches for lawn care professionals by zip code.
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