When doing lawn care there are some general guide line that work for all lawn and grass types, if you start by applying these principles it will decrease the amount of work you have to do in the long run and improve your lawns general health and apperance.

• Mow a little more offten but only when the top part of the leaf is 1/3 past the recommended height of the grass type. If you do this it will help to thicken up the grass and you can leave the clippings on the lawn (best free fertilizer you can get). The only time you should catch the clipping is when it leaves clumps because it is to wet or there is too much grass.

• Spot treat and completely remove weeds. I just use vinegar for spot treating as it kills the weeds down to the roots. If you remove weeds by hand make sure you get all of the root system. Try to use herbicides as little as possible as it is bad for the environment and can damage your lawn also. I only use herbicides when the lawn is completely over run with weeds.
• Air is vital for a healthy lawn. Most people have never aerated thier lawn, (it is a bit of work) this can make a big difference to you lawns health. You can hire a machine or company and realistaly I only do it once every year to two years and find that that makes a big difference. If you have a small lawn just try using a pitch fork.
• Watering the right way. Water deep and infrequently this uses less water but makes a lawn healthier by creating deep strong roots. Roots grow approx. 6" - 8" down and this is how far you want to water, push a screw driver into the soil and where it gets hard is where its dry. When the lawn shows signs of stress like footprints that dont bounce back or a bluey color to the grass, its time to water. You can test this again with your screw driver, if it only goes in easily till 4" then water the lawn. Remember you want to water long enough so that the water reaches about 7" down.