«Breaking News» The 10 tips you need to grow the perfect lawn: Expert reveals the secrets to a verdant yard

A lawn expert has given his top 10 tips for the perfect lawn as we say goodbye to summer.

Ben Sims, from Orange in the central west region of New South Wales, has built a passion for teaching avid gardeners how to perfect their lawn.

Working as a professional greenkeeper for eight years, Mr Sims quickly learnt the tricks of the trade and used his skills in his own backyard. 

'After I learnt the trade, I really got into looking after my own lawn so I did a renovation on my own lawn at home and from there I sparked a bit of a passion,' he said. 

Ben Sims (pictured), from Orange in the central west region of New South Wales, has built a passion for teaching avid gardeners how to perfect their lawn

'I used to talk about it way too much with my wife and so I decided to make a YouTube channel just as an outlet to talk about grass.'

Once or twice a week, Mr Sims shares videos of his gardening escapades to his almost 20,000 subscribers on his channel Lawn Tips.

Mr Sims spoke with Daily Mail Australia to share his 10 most important tips for the perfect lawn. 

Mow your lawn regularly

The first tip, which Mr Sims called the 'best tip of all', is to ensure you mow your lawn regularly.

According to Mr Sims, a regular mow will ensure your lawn grows effectively and healthily. 

'It's going to help thicken it up and relieve stress on your grass,' he said.

The first tip, which Mr Sims called the 'best tip of all', is to ensure you mow your lawn regularly (pictured)

Make sure you cut off one-third every time you cut your lawn 

Linking his next tip to number one, Mr Sims said it was important to avoid cutting off too much grass.  

Mr Sims says you should only cut off one-third every time you cut your lawn. 

'If you cut anymore than that, it will stress it out and will struggle to grow back,' he said. 

Watering Schedule

Even a lawn amateur can recognise water is a key component of the perfect lawn, but Mr Sims believes most people are fooled into over-watering.  

'A lot of people tend to water every single day but it's more about infrequent watering,' he said.

'When you do a water, you've got to measure how much water you're putting out. I recommend about 12-13mil each time that you water.'

Mr Sims said you should water about once or twice a week but said it was also dependent on the season.  

'If you're in winter, you probably don't even need to water your lawn. If you're in spring, you probably go once a week, summer you go twice a week,' he said. 

'Most of Australia has got the same grass type so it should work for all of it'

Mr Sims said it was also important to avoid cutting off too much grass and recommended cutting one-third

Wetting Agent

Mr Sims recommended the use of a wetting agent to give your lawn the moisture it deserves. 

'It's like a washing liquid designed for turf,' he said.

'It basically breaks down the waxy surface on top of soil and helps water penetrate down into the soil and then helps to retain moisture as well.'

Mr Sims said wetting agents are pretty common use and are a key asset during drought in Australia. 

'We've got a drought going on at the moment and a lot of heat hanging around so it will help a lot with (the) heat, in the long run,' he said. 

Fertilising Schedule 

Like a good watering schedule, Mr Sims recommends adopting a fertilising schedule to look after your lawn.

He says that most grass types should be fertilised about every eight weeks.   

'Once every two months basically, when the grass is actively growing so from spring through til autumn,' he said.

Mr Sims recommended the use of a slow release fertiliser, something like Scott's Lawn Builder which is available at Bunnings.  

'Not something's that going to give it a big hit of growth, something that's nice and slow release,' he said.  

Even a lawn amateur can recognise water is a key component of the perfect lawn, but Mr Sims believes most people are fooled into over-watering

Lawn Renovation

Taking the schedule even further, Mr Sims says your lawn deserves a renovation once or twice a year.

The renovation involves a couple of steps but Mr Sims argues your lawn will benefit from it in the long run.   

'That's going to include aerating your lawn and then scalping your lawn back, cutting it really low,' he said.

'And then give it a top dress with some sand.'

The lawn should be watered once a day for two to three weeks after the renovation.  

Avoid Chemicals

Mr Sims says he tries to avoid chemicals as much as possible, as they typically do more harm than good for the environment. 

He recommends the use of a pre-emergent herbicide, rather than the use of a post-emergent once weeds appear.  

'(Pre-emergent's) will stop weeds from coming up. You apply that in the spring and in the autumn as well,' he said. 

'You want to try and avoid weeds always coming up so that you're not always applying herbicides.'

Mr Sims spoke of the danger of chemical addiction during a homeowners budding passion for their garden.

'When people get in to their lawns they start to go crazy, spraying stuff left right and centre and it's something you just want to try and avoid just to be safe on the environment,' he said. 

'Certain chemicals can harm bees and get in your waterways and just not make a good impact on the environment.'

Mr Sims said it's important to be aware of integrated pest management.  

Mr Sims says he tries to avoid chemicals as much as possible, as they typically do more harm than good for the environment

Healthy Soil Equals Healthy Lawn 

Mr Sims claims healthy green grass is reflective of what's underneath, namely, healthy soil. 

'Make sure you test your soil with a soil test,' he said.

'Use soil amendments like liquid kelp, humic acid and fulvic acid to improve nutrient uptake and soil health.'

Use Plant Growth Regulators 

Mr Sims recommended the use of plant growth regulators to give your lawn greater strength amid droughts.   

'You can buy a product that will slow down the growth of your lawn and helps it to thicken up,' he said.

'(It) helps with drought tolerance and wear as well.'

Mr Sims stressed the process was a bit of trial and error - not necessarily something you'd learn overnight

Get to know your land 

Despite effectively deploying all of Mr Sims strategies, Mr Sims stressed the process is a bit of trial and error - not necessarily something you'd learn overnight.

'You're not going to learn everything in the first season,' he said.

Mr Sims said those who develop the gardening hobby will typically spend their first year 'learning' about their lawn.

This includes learning how things respond, what weeds are going to come up and how often to put your fertiliser down.

'With lawns, a lot of areas will go drier than others, you just got to get to know your environment really,' he said.

Mr Sims hopes his YouTube channel can guide people learning how to perfect their lawn.     

'Originally I did it as a creative outlet, but from there I've built a business because I've seen the potential in the market,' he said. 

'But I'm more here to inspire people and give them tips along the way.'  

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/08/the-10-tips-you-need-to-grow-the-perfect-lawn-expert-reveals-the-secrets-to-a-verdant-yard/
Main photo article A lawn expert has given his top 10 tips for the perfect lawn as we say goodbye to summer.
Ben Sims, from Orange in the central west region of New South Wales, has built a passion for teaching avid gardeners how to perfect their lawn.
Working as a professional greenkeeper for eight years, Mr Sims...

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Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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