A Lush Lawn And Enviable Yard In Your Senior Years: What Better Time Than Now?

As a senior, you may have more time on your hands, less spending money, and a longer list of aches and pains than you did in your younger years, but that doesn't mean you don't want to have a beautiful yard, filled with the natural elements that bring you joy. Although it might not be as easy as it once was, you can still reap the rewards of a well-maintained yard, including the DIY parts.

Benefits Of Lawn Maintenance

Beyond the beauty of a well-maintained lawn, keeping up with it serves other practical purposes, such as eliminating weeds, fending off insect invasions, preparing it for inclement weather, and strengthening it against diseases. Lawn diseases leave your lawn littered with brown patches and other eyesores, making it very difficult to present a lush, green, and healthy yard to the world. Maintaining the lawn will also save you a considerable amount of money in the long-term, especially if you're a stickler for imperfections. An impeccably manicured lawn increases your home's property value, too. 

Health Perks For You

While many landscaping tasks may leave you with an aching back or worse, a lot of them can be very healthy for you. Even if you don't have a sprawling yard or spectacular gardens, taking care of the yard works for you in more ways than one:

• You get the benefits of physical exercise.
• The fresh air and sunshine are good for your lungs, immune system, and heart and may even improve digestion.
• Having a regular task or hobby keeps your mind sharper.
• Improving your immediate environment gives you a sense of accomplishment, which is important to everyone.
• If you grow any fruits or vegetables on your property, you get the benefit of fresh, organic foods, and that's easier to do on nutrient-rich, well-maintained land.

You get a good feeling when your yard looks nice, and there are many more ways to enjoy your surroundings with the right landscaping, like strategically placing bird feeders around or placing lawn and picnic furniture, which you could enjoy solo or with guests.

Caring For The Lawn Yourself

No matter how rugged and determined you may be, taking care of a lawn is a lot of work. With persistence, you can do a lot in terms of attaining and maintaining a lush texture, rich green color and healthy topsoil, which are all necessary components of the enviable lawn everyone craves, but few accomplish. The following tasks will help you achieve your goal:

1. Test your soil with an easy-to-use kit, designed to inform you of the existing conditions and nutrients, so you can plan a healthier diet for the lawn.
2. Fertilize according to your soil test and how you intend to landscape or use each area, such as for a flower bed, vegetable growing, or grass.
3. Compost from inside your home, then spread the joy in the yard, especially where you intend to plant anything.
4. Add weed and insect repellent at your discretion, based on what you see, the time of year, and whether you're growing edibles or will have small kids or animals roaming the yard.
5. Pull weeds if you're able to endure the constant bending and stretching.
6. Arm yourself with the tools that will help you succeed, like knee pads, a back brace and modern gadgets that do so much more than simply rake or dig. The tools available now are probably very different than the ones you grew up with, despite still serving the same purpose.
7. Don't forget sunscreen when maintaining your lawn and keeping yourself hydrated. Also, don't push yourself too hard if anything feels strenuous or burdensome—it's not worth hurting yourself over, regardless of how amazing the lawn will look. Especially in really warm weather, you need to be careful of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

What Jobs To Save For The Professionals

Depending on your budget for lawn care, you may not want to spend hours behind an old push mower that takes three passes to trim the grass to the right height. Of course, it's up to you what you do and whether or not you hire a professional, but doing so at least once a year can really save you a lot of trouble, possibly by helping you to avoid physical ailments and injury. Be realistic, as opposed to stubborn, about what you can and can't do and how the more strenuous tasks should be handled:

• Leave moving earth and stone to the professionals.
• Moving or taking down trees should only be done by those who have the knowledge and training to do it safely.
• Having annual landscaping done can set you up for a healthy lawn and well-groomed shrubs and trees, but saves the regular trimming and spiffing for you, along with the healthy and enjoyable benefits.

Maintaining a beautiful lawn, along with the rest of your yard, should be a priority for you. It's soothing to look at, welcomes graceful creatures from nature and can do a lot to keep you healthy. Enjoy doing what you're able and get help for the work you're simply not up to anymore. Nothing should stop you from having the landscaping you want. To learn more about lawn maintenance, contact companies like Pattie Group, Inc.