Get matched with top lawn irrigation specialists in El Centro, CA

There are a few ways to fix your lawn on a budget, including:

• Identify the lawn care problem and learn how to seed, fertilize, and aerate your lawn. 

• Reseed old, damaged lawn with new grass that fares better in your environment. 

• Remove grass from your yard so you no longer need to worry about lawn care costs.

First, you should figure out whether you have dormant or dead grass. Dead grass won’t come back, so you’ll have to reseed if you’re hoping for a lush lawn. However, grass can go dormant if it hasn’t received enough water or if temperatures are too cold. If it’s still decently warm outside, you can revive dormant grass by watering it. But if it’s mid-January in New England, for example, you’ll need to wait until the weather warms up again. If you want to keep grass green in winter, consider a grass like Kentucky bluegrass, which maintains its color year-round.

If your lawn hasn't been aerated in over a year, or the soil is incredibly compacted, do two passes with the aerator. The first pass should follow your mowing pattern and the second one should form a perpendicular angle relative to the first. Stick to 20 to 40 holes per square foot as a rule of thumb.

The best time to aerate a lawn is when there's plenty of moisture in the soil, which is the fall or spring seasons. However, keep in mind that lawn aeration isn't very effective when there has been a long period of heavy rain, as the excess water can potentially damage the lawn in the aeration process. Wait until your lawn is predominantly dry to start the aeration process to ensure best results.