How to Keep Your Lawn Green

Step 1
Fertilize your lawn. Just a couple of times a year is plenty. You can fertilize once in the spring, and then again in midsummer with a food specially blended for lawns. These blends are higher in nitrogen than other elements. Nitrogen is what stimulates vigorous growth and a deep green color.

Step 2
Use a fertilizer spreader. Fertilize your lawn after mowing in addition to when the grass is dry. Fertilizer will stick to the blades of wet grass, burning the lawn in the process. Using a lawn spreader ensures equal distribution of the fertilizer across the lawn. Gauge the spreader at a low setting, and go over the area several times, ensuring each pass of the spreader overlaps the last.

Step 3
Keep your lawn mower in top shape. The most expensive tool for your lawn, it's one of the most overlooked. A well-maintained lawn mower reaps a crisp, fresh, evenly-cut lawn. Check the spark plug for erosion, make sure blades are sharpened and that the oil is regularly changed. A lawn mower is an investment that requires upkeep.

Step 4
Water the lawn often throughout the summer months. Early morning, very early, like 5 a.m. is best. This allows the lawn to dry before nightfall, when fungus is most active. It's also usually a non-peak time for most towns' water supplies. Water early just a few times each week. Deep soaking encourages deep root growth, compared to light watering, which encourages the roots to stay close to the surface of the soil. Your lawn is then more susceptible to heat and drought.

Step 5
Repair brown spots caused by pets. Many pet owners face the challenge of brown spots on their lawns. Just like over-fertilizing, high nitrogen content is found in pet urine, which causes the urine to burn the grass. Watering the lawn well within eight hours of excretion can dilute the high nitrogen level. If the spots go untreated, you'll need to purchase a grass repair kits. These are sold commercially, or can be made by mixing sand, seed and slow-release fertilizer.