Yard maintenance can be a daunting task. You can spend hours pruning, mowing, fertilizing, and watering your lawn and garden only to have it look just as bad next week.

This is why many people hire a professional landscaping service. However, if you’re on a budget or want to take care of your yard yourself, here are 5 tips you can use to have a healthy and beautiful yard:

1. Mow your grass at the right time – Keep up with regular lawn maintenance by mowing every two weeks at a minimum, but preferably once per week during periods of heavy rain!
2. Pick the right fertilizer for your lawn – Feeding (fertilizing) your lawn should be done only when necessary, during the growth season — generally early spring and late fall for cool-season grasses and late spring for warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass or zoysiagrass. To determine if you need to fertilize, you can do a simple soil test or look at the lawn itself, take that information to your local garden shop or landscaper for fertilizer suggestions.
3. Water your lawn throughout the day – Take the time to water your yard. It’s so easy to take our yards for granted and forget about them throughout the day. You can easily change this habit by setting an alarm on your phone to remind you when it’s time to give your lawn a drink.
4. Rotate your organic herbicides and pesticides – Your lawn can be just like a person. Over time it can build up tolerance to products. If you have to use one of these products, try to use a different one each year.
5. Prune your trees – Trees add beauty and value to any landscape, but they also require maintenance. When choosing what trees to plant, take into consideration the eventual height and spread of the tree’s branches. Planting too close to the house or driveway can cause problems in the future. Also, pick a tree that is resistant to pests and disease.

With a little bit of care and consideration, you can achieve the lush, beautiful landscape that you’ve always dreamed of having without breaking the bank. These five tips should help you make your yard look as good as it is – healthy and beautiful.