Ever had yard-envy? Sure, “the grass is always greener” and all that, but seriously–why is your neighbor’s grass PERFECT and your’s looks like it used to be a shipping container yard? You mow every other Saturday, even do a little weed-whacking, and the turf is still patchy, brownish, and bleh. Here are a couple of thoughts on why that might be:

You Don’t Fertilize

It’s true that going the extra mile for your lawn can cost a little more than you’d like to spend, but if your yard is looking gross, a monthly treatment might be just the thing. However, if you do it, do it right. Hire a professional spraying crew to take care of your grass for you–do NOT get store-bought granular mixtures because a) you don’t have time for that and b) it’s not an effective treatment. Cough up the cash to have it professionally sprayed, and you will finally be able to get rid of all that pesky centipede grass.

Your Septic Tank Needs Pumping

As a teenager, I lived in a house set far back from the road in the woods, and not being within the city limits, our home was on septic rather than sewage. There was a short period of time during which about a quarter of our backyard was a bit swampy and brown because the septic tank wasn’t working properly and began overflowing (this happens because of the internal ratio of liquids-to-solids getting messed up from a faulty system, but you can read about that elsewhere). Needless to say, we preferred to not show off this portion of our yard at the time. If you’re noticing a part of your yard becoming sodden and discolored, you may want to contact a septic professional to take a look at your system, as it may need to be pumped. When your septic system is working as it should, it won’t interfere with the health of your turf, and you can work on getting it greener.

Written by Ben Mix