growing a garden as a family

A beautiful, inviting yard is often one of the best perks of homeownership, but maintaining an attractive lawn can also seriously cut into your free time. Instead of giving up on your yard or resigning yourself to spending every free moment working on it, just try these four tips for making lawn care more efficient:

Invest in a Zero Turn Mower

For a large yard, few things will make lawn care more efficient than a zero turn mower. Zero turn mowers are designed to effectively cut grass on the edges and corners of your lawn, without the need for additional time spent edging. Zero turn mowers maneuver so precisely and quickly that you can easily mow your entire lawn, even if the layout is complicated, in a fraction of the time spent with a traditional lawn mower or lesser quality riding mower.

Go a Little Longer Between Mowing

Get out of the habit of mowing the lawn the second it grows a tiny bit. There's no need to let your lawn become unkempt, but slightly longer grass will stay healthier with less effort because longer grass does a better job of holding in moisture and nutrients. It also makes it harder for weeds to grow, because the longer grass does a better job of blocking the sunlight from seedling weeds. Just by waiting a bit longer in between mowing, your grass will need less watering and less fertilizing, saving you time all around.

Landscape with Native Plants

When adding plants and shrubbery to your lawn for landscaping, opt for as many native, local plants as possible. Anything that already grows naturally in your region will thrive in your yard with much less effort, water and fertilizer needed. This will not only save you a ton of time, but is better for the environment and your water bills as well.

Don't Throw Away Grass Clippings

Collecting the grass clippings after mowing your lawn can add a lot of time to the whole endeavor. Many homeowners don't realize that the grass clippings are actually full of nutrients which will return to the soil once the clippings decompose, making your lawn healthier with less time spent fertilizing. This means you can skip this tedious chore and know you're actually doing something great for your lawn at the same time.

By following these tips, you will soon have the lawn of your dreams, and some extra time on the weekends to boot.