Okay, we’ll admit it: we spent most of our lives confusing myths and facts. Things like bulls getting angry when they see the colour red, goldfish having a three-second memory, chewing gum taking seven years to digest. And, of course, if the wind changes while you’re pulling a silly face you’ll be stuck like that forever (thanks, mum). Yepp. We fell for them all.
But guess what: there’s a slew of myths surrounding the world of lawn care too. As if trying to grow a lush, healthy, fast-draining, weed-free lawn wasn’t hard enough already. All the mowing and aerating and fertilising, it turns out a lot of homeowners have been confusing fact and fiction.
So to counter this trickle of lawn misinformation, we’re on a mission to debunk these popular misconceptions and replace them. We’ll replace with lawn care tips that will make your patch of turf the best on your block. Ready? Let’s do this:
Myth no.1: The shorter you mow, the less often you have to mow it.
Believe it or not, this couldn’t be further away from the truth. That’s not just because mowing your lawn too short will actually encourage disease to run riot and your grass roots to weaken. But lopping off more than a third of your grass in one session could cause enough harm to kill your lawn. From reducing your grass’ supply of nitrogen to making your lawn vulnerable to weeds, a scalped lawn is not ideal. Instead, try to keep your grass at about three to three-and-a-half inches long throughout the growing season.
Myth no.2: Lawns need lime in order to thrive.
While it’s true the healthiest lawns grow from soil with a neutral pH level. Adding lime to a lawn that doesn’t require any pH balancing will burn out your lawn, turning your beautiful grass a painful brown colour instead of a lush shade of green. So instead of using lime for no reason, make sure you test your soil’s pH level first.
Myth no.3: Lawns can be watered at any time of the day.
Remember when your grandma used to tell you “there’s no time like the present,” well, that’s not strictly true when it comes to watering your lawn. Instead, the best time to turn on the sprinkler or whip out your hose is between 6am and 9am. Do this before the sun warms up and causes your water to evaporate before it even reaches the roots. What’s more, watering at night can create the perfect dark and damp conditions for lawn fungus to thrive.
Myth no.4: Beer works as an affordable lawn fertiliser.
The theory behind this makes a lot of sense: beer contains yeast and yeast creates a great growing environment in your soil. The problem is, beer contains a lot more than just yeast. From sugars to alcohol, there’s a bunch of ingredients in beer that will actually stop your grass from growing. While the yeast can also attract fungus, thus stunting your grass’ growth in more than one way. What you want to use instead is a real lawn fertiliser, whether that’s organic or not. Giving your lawn all the nutrients it could possibly need.
Myth no.5: Hoses are better than sprinklers.
When we were growing up, we were always told watering the lawn with a hose gives you more control and is more cost effective. But here’s the reality: using a sprinkler system is designed to help you water your lawn evenly without much hassle. Compare that to a hosepipe and you’ll find your chances of overwatering a certain area are much higher. Not only that but you can also see your water bill increase significantly. Alternatively, you might find you under-water another area, which could lead to weak roots and brown patches in your lawn. And that’s a real pain to repair.
Myth no.6: Lawns should be watered little and often.
Wrong. The best thing you can do to encourage deep, healthy grass roots is to heavily water your lawn two or three times a week during a dry spell or heatwave, which will help saturate the soil much deeper, thus supplying nutrients to your grass roots, encouraging deeper roots and healthier lawn.
Myth no.7: Chewing gum solves mole issues.
Not that long ago, we overheard someone saying that if you cover a mole hill in chewing gum, the mole will eat it, choke and, well, solve your mole problem. But that’s a big fat fib because no mole is going to be tricked into eating chewing gum. Luckily, there are a few alternative ways to get rid of any moles popping up in your lawn, and without causing them harm too.
Myth no.8: Wear aeration shoes while mowing your lawn.
We totally get the theory behind this. The problem is, the reality doesn’t quite add up because, as much of a time saver as it might seem to be, the maths suggests it will be as effective as a chocolate teapot. By strapping on some aeration spikes and then walking up and down with a mower will aerate around 0.5% of your lawn when you need to aerate at least 5% of your soil to have any kind of positive impact. It’s a much better idea to simply hire a lawn care specialist to come and do a professional job.
Myth No.9: Sharpening your mower blade is a waste of time.
Here’s the thing: even the dullest mower blades will find it easy to cut your grass. The problem is, if you inspect your lawn afterwards, you’ll find your dull blade has actually ripped and torn through your grass blades instead of slicing them, which can leave your lawn exposed to some very nasty diseases. Compare that to a newly sharpened blade and you’ll find your grass blades have been cleanly sliced, putting a lot less stress on them=, especially during the growing season.
Thanks for reading our guide to – 9 Lawn Care Myths You Need To Stop Believing and the best tips to replace them. For more lawn care tips and tricks, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.