Who wouldn’t want a clean and tidy yard? It’s not just to increase any property’s curb appeal but also to make your yard a more ideal place to relax and spend quality time with family and friends. However, sustaining such beauty is not always an easy task. Sometimes it’s just too strenuous to do or it’s simply time-consuming.
Image by Claudia Peters
Whether it’s the former or the latter reason, one should still find a solution to his backyard cleaning dilemma. Do you want to maintain your yard without spending too much time on it? Get into the habit of doing these six effective ways to keep your yard clean and tidy. You will not regret it.
1. Landscape with mulch.
Do you dread mowing your lawn? Creative landscaping will do the work for you. This will beautify your space and lessen the amount of grass that needs to be cut.
Mulching is an inexpensive way of being creative in your landscape. This is especially true when using colored mulch, which can greatly improve the visual appearance of any garden. You can put it around flower beds and even trees.
In addition to the visual effects on your yard, mulching also provides a natural barrier to help prevent weeds and retain moisture in the soil, which are both beneficial to your garden plants. And yes, it can also reduce your time spent on watering, saving water, and time for other tasks to do.
2. Prune trees and bushes promptly.
Are there any dead, broken, or badly disfigured branches around your yard? How about unwanted lower branches on your evergreen shrubs? Don’t wait until those branches fall off and cause an accident in your household, or your garden becomes too crowded. Unless you’re aiming for a jungle-like yard, cut or trim down these branches straightaway.
Pruning is a long-term maintenance strategy. It protects the plants, property, and family from pests, damage, and injury. May it be thinning, topping, raising, or reduction, pruning promotes plant health by removing infected or damaged parts and then allowing sun into your garden. When you remove specific parts of shrubs and trees, it helps them grow and maintain a good structure. As a result, your garden will have greater aesthetic appeal.
3. Remove weeds early.
Pulling out weeds is very laborious, not to mention the backache it can give you after. Even the thought of having to take out weeds from the yard is already tiring. But if you get behind the wedding, you’ll get an unsightly view of your yard. That’s one reason why you should be proactive in dealing with them. They also take up both space and nutrients that should be for your favorite flowering plants. So don’t wait until it’s a full-day chore and the weeds are unruly before you pull them out. Remove them from your yard early.
The best time to control weeds is before they become established in your landscape. Removing them before they flower is a good practice to prevent them from having seeds that will be dispersed in your yard and grow into another layer of weeds again.
4. Remove bulky rubbish.
When trying to tidy up your lawn, you should aim for the large debris and wastes first. Tree branches, boulders, rocks, old tires, faulty appliances – you may find them getting piled up in the yard over time. You might also need tree stump removal. These bulky wastes are the first to be seen when looking at your yard because of their size. Yes, pick up the obvious first.
As you put these wastes away, consider sorting them out. Not everything may need to go to the bin instantly. Is there something you can still use or recycle? Items for recycling and absolute disposal can be packed into trash bags and given to the garbage collector. Or maybe some wastes can be added to the compost pile.
5. Rake your yard.
Raking gets rid of any dead leaves, dried grasses, twigs, or candy wrappers from your yard. It keeps the yard looking nice and healthy. The point of doing this is to clean your yard and allow your grass to breathe.
When there’s a thick layer of leaves and small debris in your yard, the grass won’t be able to absorb sunlight, air, and nutrients. Consequently, your lawn may become prone to flooding or attract pests. The fungal disease may also develop because of the ideal humid condition caused by the thick layer of leaves. This will not be a good sight as it will leave unhealthy spots in your yard.
6. Mow your yard.
Mowing gives the yard a perfect look. It makes you stare at it to relax and enjoy such greenery. It’s a quick fix, a way of getting the yard clean, especially if garden landscaping is not your option. Cutting down the grass can also make it grow thicker, allowing it to spread.
In general, grasses are cut when they’re 2-3 inches tall, but it still depends on the season and the kind of grass you’re trimming. A little research about your grass will help in mowing. Nevertheless, grasses should be cut at no more than one-third of their total length. Cutting them too short can possibly leave your ground with bare-looking or brown spots. It’s also more susceptible to weed growth.
