Get matched with top lawn care pros in Portales, NM

You should wait about seven to 10 days after you top dress your lawn to mow. This will give the ground ample time to absorb the nutrients from the sand, topsoil, and compost, and help facilitate growth before you trim the existing grass. It’s also best to water the lawn frequently in the week or so after you top dress and before you mow.

As a beginner, start by mowing your lawn in symmetrical rows by turning the mower at the end of each row and overlapping with the previous row. Use an edging tool or weedwacker to make your lawn look sharp and crisp around the edges, and then sweep the debris back into the yard. Take it slow, and know that you can adjust your approach or pattern the next time your grass needs a clip.

Ultimately, pulling weeds vs. spraying them depends on what’s happening in your yard and your personal preferences. Manual weed removal doesn’t introduce any chemicals into your landscape, targets specific problematic plants, produces immediate results, can be free if you go the DIY route, and is inexpensive with a weed service if you only have a handful of weeds. On the other hand, spraying is often preferable for severe weed infestations and situations involving difficult-to-pull weeds because it treats multiple weeds at once, is usually more effective long-term, is less time-consuming, and costs less when done by a pro.

A standard home lawn mower with sharp blades can handle a thin layer of leaves without issue. You may need to make a couple of passes within several days to mulch leaves down, but your mower shouldn’t struggle. If your mower comes with a mulching kit, like an attachment to blow leaves out the side, that’s a good sign it’s ready for fall leaves. Set your mower to the highest or near-highest height for this project so it focuses on the leaves rather than the grass below.