Dadvice Weekly #37 / Lawn Care SZN
Dadvice Weekly - #37
As mentioned in Issue #36, before I bought a house I didn’t know much about home ownership. Since owning our home I’ve tried to DIY some things, I’ve outsource other things, but at this point one thing I have grown to love is lawn care.
There’s something awesome about having a good looking lawn. I’m not trying to win lawn of the year with the HOA, but I have enjoyed trying to keep the grass full and green.
Its way more approachable than I thought. There’s also tiers to how much effort you want to put in relative to having the output you are wanting. I am going to include tiers in my recommendations below based on if you want to be a lawn hardo (hardcore lawn dude) or entry level (if you’re wanting a generally solid lawn without being a hardo). I hope this hits with you because its something I have greatly enjoyed throughout the years. -SW
Entry Level - Lawn Mower
There are so many lawn mowers in the market. If I was a free agent this spring I would start on Facebook Marketplace for an electric mower with a battery (make sure it comes with the battery). I would never do something with a cord you have to manage. I’m not as into gas because there’s an engine you have to maintain and its harder to store (I store mine upright in the corner of the garage). I haven’t done enough research to know about how much power gas provides relative to electric, but in my experience electric cuts the blades just fine.
If there’s nothing on Marketplace, I would recommend the Ryobi 20” push lawn mower. Its not the cheapest nor most expensive but its the one I have and I like it. I love the 20” wide because that just means less laps in your lawn than the 16” when mowing. I do the push instead of self push because its cheaper but run the cost/benefit analysis for yourself. -SW
Entry Level - Scott’s Turf Builder Fertilizer
There are hundreds of options of fertilizer. Its easy to experience analysis paralysis. Let me do you a favor and recommend getting Scott’s Turf Builder 4 Step Annual Plan. Then go ahead and download the Scott’s My Lawn app. Buy the cheapest fertilizer spreader you can find. When you have these three things it makes it fool proof for what to do. There are 4 types of fertilizer you get, and the app literally sends you a push notification when its time to put which bag down. Doing this step alone will give you a healthy lawn.
The only thing that’s a little bit challenging is knowing how much fertilizer to put down. I personally just pace off the size of my lawn for the length and width. I do quick math to give me an estimate of how much fertilizer it needs. I have a food scale I use to know roughly how much fertilizer I am putting in the spreader. -SW
Entry Level - Understand How Long to Run Each Zone
A lot of people think there’s a big issue with their lawn but the reality is they aren’t getting enough water to it. They think they’re good because they run their sprinkler a few times a week but there might be variance depending on the spot of the lawn. This video unpacks how to understand the variance and how much water actually gets on your grass. I would suggest spending some time figuring this out. Once you do it you can set your irrigation system and be good to go for good enough. -SW
Hardo Level - Get a Soil Test
In 2024 I purchased this soil test from Amazon. It was super easy where you pull in some soil from a few spots in your lawn and mail it in. Everything is included in the test kit. The information I got back was a lot and I don’t know 70% of it meant, but the best thing it did was gave me a link to a specific fertilizer that was the precise numbers for my soil. Since doing this, my lawn has never been greener once I’ve fertilized.
If you’re a fellow hardo, this was absolutely worth the $30. I haven’t done it since due to thinking my soil doesn’t change that much every year. I will probably snag another test in 2027. -SW
Hardo Level - Electric Lawn Dethatcher
In 2023 I bought an electric lawn dethatcher. This has been a true game changer. There’s a lot of science that goes into this device. The TLDR is the more you fertilize, the thicker a layer of thatch (organic matter that’s spongey) builds, and the less water that actually gets down deep into the grass roots leading to strong grass that will defend against dormancy during the hotter days.
You can buy a thatch rake to manually break through the layer of thatch but its exhausting. The alternative is the electric dethatcher that is as easy to break through as mowing the lawn. In Colorado Springs these are all over Facebook Marketplace so I encourage you to look there before dropping the bucks on Amazon.
This device has been great for short term green grass but also long term healthy turf that will stay in growing condition even when other lawns are going dormant in the Summer. If you end up going this route check out this video to explain the benefits, best practices for when to do it, and the process I have adopted. -SW
Hardo Level - Rainbird Smart Wifi Module
When we bought our house in 2018 it came with a Rainbird irrigation system. In 2021 I bought the Rainbird Smart Wifi Module. This thing has paid for itself at this point.
This is a small chip you plug into your controller. It gives you two capabilities:
I am able to adjust my water timings and water days from my phone as long as I’m on Wifi. This is really nice when I need to adjust watering schedules or manually water a zone.
It connects the controller to a weather app so if it rains or has rained recently your sprinkler system will adjust to water less or not water at all. So this is where you can actually save money in the long term.
If you’re into lawncare this is 100% worth it. -SW
Ultra Hardo Level - Stripe Your Lawn
I haven’t done this yet but I I will this year. You can buy a striping kit from Home Depot or you can DIY your own to attach onto your lawnmower.
If you’re an ultra hardo let me know how this is going for you. I feel like this has to feel awesome finishing up a mow, drinking a beer on the patio and just checking out your stripes. -SW
Dadvice Weekly is Kyle and Skyler—two friends in their thirties, living in Colorado, settling into fatherhood and trying to stay sane. Every Tuesday we share what’s working in our homes: gear we use, routines we’ve tested, ideas we’re trying. It could be a recipe, a product that solved a problem, or just what we’re thinking about as dads.
If you have a tip, tried something we mentioned, or just want to say hi, reply to this email or message us on Substack. We read everything, and we’re always looking for what works. Glad you’re here.