Q&A: Learn lawn care tips to enhance your yard year-round from TurfMutt Foundation President Kris Kiser

Community Impact sat down with the president and chief executive officer of the TurfMutt Foundation, Kris Kiser, to discuss the importance of lawn maintenance and a few tips to ensure your yard looks good year-round.

The TurfMutt Foundation is a nonprofit that advocates for outdoor living and the care and stewardship of yards, parks and other green spaces, according to its website.

Responses have been edited for length, clarity and style.

Why should homeowners take care of their lawns?

Our outdoor spaces, particularly our lawns, are an extension of our home. During COVID, people really did reconnect to the outdoors. It was a safe space where you could entertain, cook and meet with friends and family. It created a connection to the outdoors that we used to have.

The TurfMutt Foundation encourages you to take care of your lawn to benefit your family or your pets or whatever your particular needs are. That's the one nice thing about nature; you can tailor your outdoor space for your particular needs. Do you want to exercise outside? Do you cook? Do you entertain? Are you a nature lover? Are you a landscaper? You can design your lawn for you. You can make it pretty.

At TurfMutt, we want you to bear nature in mind. If we all do our part, we can very much help nature. Nature is adapting to us. We live in man-made environments. Use the right plant in the right place that helps with supplemental water and bear nature in mind.

How does an appealing front lawn impact a home’s value?

We certainly have all heard about curb appeal for some time. A yard, in particular your front yard, is a reflection of how the home is maintained. Young people in particular want a purposeful yard. So yards don’t just need to be pretty, they need to be purposeful.

That could include planting flowering plants for pollinator support, evergreens for habitat and food for animals and birds. Grass is particularly good for slowing and capturing rainwater and helping with dust and particulate matter.

Our yards are purposeful. They help us bond with nature and, importantly, get our kids off their devices and get them outside.

What are some simple and cost-effective ways to ensure the lawn looks nice?

It’s a year-round enterprise and exercise, and so what you do when is very helpful. Cleaning up your yard, which could include picking up debris and sticks or adding a layer of mulch, will make the yard instantly look better.

The key is to know your zone and know where you live, which can be found out with the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone map. That will help you find the right plant for the right place. The key is to find the right grasses, bushes and trees for your environment. Once established, they won't need supplemental water and they're likely going to be good for migrating birds and insects that might be in your area.

There's dozens and dozens of grass species—warm-season grass and cool-season grasses. We want to be very mindful about water quality and water savings. If you have the right grass, it'll simply go dormant when challenged with heat or drought, and then it'll spring right back when the rains come.

Those are key messages; know your zone and plant the right plant in the right place.

What amenities could a homeowner add to their front lawn to make their home more desirable for a buyer?

Flowering plants in particular and established landscaping. Landscaping can also create privacy and visual texture. Evergreens in particular are good for texture.

If the yard is well-maintained and put together, it's a signal indicator of how the house is maintained. Your front yard is literally your front room. It's what your neighbors see and what visitors see, so curb appeal is key.

At the same time, it's so easy to tailor that for the particular birds, insects and animals of where you live. I put in cone flowers and black-eyed Susans, which means I'll get goldfinches. If you give migratory birds what they need, where they want to rest and recharge and eat, they'll stay. Another thing you can easily find online is where you live and if you are on a migratory path.

What common mistake should homeowners watch out for when planting?

Time of year. You want the ground to essentially be thawed, so you don't want a hard freeze. Remember that newly planted plants will need water, likely supplemental water, until they're established.

If you buy plants in your nursery or garden center, it'll likely have very specific instructions relative to that plant because it's very easy to know your soil types, kinds of remedial measures, fertilizers or soil enhancements you can take for that particular plant. You don't want to overwater or underwater. That's a very easy online find.

When you buy a plant, typically there will be a little card or tag in the soil, and it'll tell you what to do.

Some plants will either be shade-tolerant or want full sun, partial sun or partial shade. Bear that in mind. Don't take a shade-loving plant and put it in direct sun. Follow the guidance.

What tips do you have for lawn care throughout the year?

Mow grass a particular height, 3-4 inches typically. If you're in the extreme heat or extreme drought, let it grow a little taller, because the grass blades actually shade themselves.

Look at times of the year to cut. Some plants are very specific about when you should prune them or when you cut them back. Part of that is just knowing when to cut and where to cut on a plant.

In times of drought, there's times of stress, so you can give them supplemental water. There's a time to fertilize. There's a time to seed; overseeding is oftentimes in the fall.

It will depend on where you live. Find out where you live and look for those tips; how best to feed my lawn, grow my lawn, fertilize my lawn, and what time of year. Typically, spring and fall are key seasons, but a lot of plants want to be pruned in the winter while they're dormant.

Editor's note: The headline of the story was updated to correct an error. The Q&A was conducted with TurfMutt Foundation Kris Kiser.