Lawn Care Tips for the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Area
Yards tend to be smaller in San Francisco and the surrounding areas than in some parts of the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important that your small patch of grass is healthy and vibrant. Here are some simple tips that will help you keep it that way.
Create a Schedule
The best way to ensure that your lawn gets all the care and attention it needs is to make an annual schedule and stick to it (weather permitting, of course). This should include tasks like watering, mowing, fertilizing, and reseeding with a notation of the right time of year to do each one. Set reminders for yourself or mark the approximate dates on your calendar so you don’t forget.
In the Fall
Even though temperatures cool down in the fall, you should actually be ramping up the amount of time you spend on lawn care. This is when you can add fertilizers, reseed, and otherwise treat the damage that’s occurred from the summer months. Getting your lawn in good shape before the winter will pay off in a healthy, green lawn when spring rolls around.
Even though the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area isn’t likely to get too cold in the fall, your grass will still be growing. This means you should still keep up a routine. You should water your lawn every week or so, and mow it when it gets overlong.
In the Winter
Your grass’s growth will slow to a crawl during the winter, but it still needs care. If it doesn’t rain, you should water every three or four weeks. (Note: if the ground happens to freeze, skip the watering until it thaws out.) You probably won’t need to worry about mowing until temperatures rise.
In the Spring
Start with a soil test to determine if you need to add any additional fertilizer. If so, use a slow-acting fertilizer with the right proportions of nutrients. It’s also a good idea to check and perform maintenance as necessary on your irrigation system and lawnmower (for example, adjusting sprinkler heads or sharpening mower blades).
In the Summer
During the period of fastest growth, you’ll need to mow your lawn more frequently. It might be tempting to cut your grass close so you can go longer between trimmings, but setting your mower’s blade high and mowing more often will result in the healthiest lawn.
Although any big reseeding projects should be done in the fall, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for bare patches during the summer and reseed as you go, too.
Setting and keeping to a lawn care schedule is the best way to keep your San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area lawn looking great.