Lawncare tips from domestic pro Martha Stewart herself

(BPT) - When you think of Martha Stewart, visions of picture-perfect cookies, floral arrangements and garden parties come to mind. Behind the scenes, however, Martha prides herself in getting hands-on while maintaining her personal 150-acre farm in Bedford, New York.

“I have the privilege of living on a working farm, and while it is certainly serene and picturesque, it’s also a lot of hard work,” said Stewart. “I really enjoy getting my hands dirty in the garden and mowing my lawns each week — it’s satisfying to hop on my mower, listen to some music, and get my work done, all while carving out some ‘me time’ in the process.”

Martha Stewart’s tips for lawn maintenance:

1. Schedule everything. A hobby farm is a continual work-in-progress. From the chicken coop to the horse paddocks, to the gardens, lawns and orchard, the changing seasons play a big role in guiding a year-round maintenance plan. Juggling a farm and a busy work schedule can be tricky. The solution: Martha calendars everything at the beginning of the year, not only her backyard parties and events, but also her lawn care routine and needs — from monthly checks on the mowers (fluids, blade checks, etc.), to scheduling weekly mowing and trimming tasks. This way you don’t forget important maintenance tasks and your lawn will flourish and be party-ready year-round.
2. Invest in quality. From the start, invest in a quality mower, whether it be a ride-on, walk-behind or zero-turn mower. Quality equipment will have a direct impact on the time it takes to manage your lawn and will contribute to the overall health of the turf itself. “We have been using Kubota zero-turn mowers for years — the reliability and durability is second to none for homeowners looking for a sleek, comfortable ride and professional results,” Martha added. “Did I mention how easy they are to operate?”
3. Don’t cut corners. One of the easiest ways to damage your lawn is by cutting it too short. You may think cutting it short will save you time in the long run, but you’d be wrong. As a rule of thumb, we cut no more than 1/3 of the grass blades at a time, because if we cut too much, it will damage the grass and cause browning and grass loss. Plus, grass that is cut properly thrives in a wider range of weather conditions.
4. Recycle and reuse. It’s important to outfit your mower with a grass catcher — not only does it give a clean finish to the job at hand, but the clippings can be composted and used back in the lawn to keep it healthy and happy. Have chickens? Feed fresh grass clippings to them — they go crazy for it, and it seems to increase egg production.
5. Don’t be afraid and have fun. A zero-turn mower can be intimidating if you haven’t operated one before. “I say, get over that fear and hop on — if I can mow my own lawn, so can any woman out there. We’ve got this! And, I promise it will be the one ’chore’ you won’t give up — it really is quite fun.”

For more lawn care tips visit KubotaUSA.com.