How To: Have healthier, greener grass with basic lawn maintenance tips from Lowe's

Want greener and healthier grass around your home? With some care and a little work, you could have the greenest landscape in the county. Lowe's has the tips you need in this five-part video series on lawn maintenance.

Mike Kraft explains the best ways to maintain the health of your lawn. First, learn how you can evaluate your lawn for problem areas. If there are bare areas, prepare for spot seeding. Or, if you want to protect and strengthen your lawn, try overseeding. Aerate your lawn with a lawn aerator to allow the grass seeds to penetrate the soil.

Next, learn how to fertilize and give your lawn proper nutrients. First, do a simple soil test to see what types of nutrients your lawn needs. If your lawn is acidic, add lime. If it has high clay content, add gypsum. Also, learn about lawn starter fertilizers and how to properly disperse fertilizer across your lawn.

Then, learn the tricks to over-seeding an existing lawn. The first step to overseeding is picking the right grass seed. Make sure to check that there is low weed content before buying. Then, use a seed spreader to distribute grass seed in a criss-cross pattern over your lawn. Once applied, do not cover with straw as weeds could begin to grow.

Next, learn the tricks to proper lawn watering. Creating water-wise landscapes and installing automatic sprinklers are two ways to make watering easier. But, you can also try fan or oscillating hose sprinklers. Use rain gauges and water timers to help adjust how much you should be watering. Typically, it is best to provide one inch of water once per week.

Lastly, learn the tricks to mowing a lawn. Properly mowing a lawn promotes strong root growth and will give you a perfectly manicured lawn look. Before mowing, make sure that you have a quality lawn mower and sharp lawn mower blades. If your blades are not sharp enough, it could prevent the grass from getting the appropriate amounts of water.