How to Increase Grass Growth

Your lawn doesn't have to look sparse and bare. The solution is not to put in expensive sod. There are several techniques you can use to bring your lawn to its full grassy glory so that you can be the envy of the neighborhood.

Lawn aerator

Grass seed

Sprinkler

Aerate your lawn. Aerating your lawn is one of the best ways to increase grass growth. Over time, the soil of your lawn may become compacted which makes it difficult for roots to spread and for water to get down where it needs to go. An aerator is a machine or tool that removes small cores of soil from your lawn which allows for the soil to loosen and allow roots to spread and water to soak deeper into the lawn. You can purchase an inexpensive manual lawn aerator or rent an aerating machine. A good way to economically rent an aerator is to share the expense with your neighbors who can each take a turn using it. You should only aerate your lawn during a season when the lawn is growing, not in the winter months when the grass is dormant.

Add additional seed to your aerated lawn. Early fall or late spring are good times to add additional seed to your lawn. Choose a fast growing seed for quicker results.

Eliminate weeds and parasites. Weeds such as crab grass and dandelions can leech important nutrients away from the good grass that you are trying to grow. Parasites such as grubs feed on the roots of your grass causing it to die. Weed and parasite removing chemicals can be purchased at your local home improvement store or applied by a professional lawn maintenance company.

Keep your lawn well watered. You know from experience that after a good rain your lawn usually needs to be cut. Nothing grows grass faster than a good watering. As long as you are not having drought like conditions, use a sprinkler on your lawn for a little while each day. Move the sprinkler around the yard periodically so that the lawn gets watered evenly.