Lawn care isn't cheap, but don't make it more expensive on yourself than it has to be. Avoid common lawn care mistakes and keep your lawn looking nice and your wallet a little fuller. Here are some such mistakes:

Neglecting the Soil

A good lawn begins with good soil. If your lawn has you scratching your head, it may be time to get your soil tested. Unhealthy soil will spawn an unhealthy lawn. There's nothing all of the lawn care products in the world can do to solve this if you're not focusing on the right issue. Always be mindful of how important your soil is!

It's early in the winter season and already it seems there is going to be a lot of snow this year. Most parts of the U.S. have already experienced their first snowfall of the year including places that almost never see snow like Texas!

The better you prepare your lawn for this onslaught of winter weather, the healthier it will be when the spring thaw rolls around. Consider taking some or all of the following measures if you haven't already:

A Nice Clipping

Give your lawn a nice clipping, not a buzz. When you cut your grass too short before the winter season, you can run the risk of killing the lawn via frost damage over the winter. However, you don't want to leave the lawn too tall either. Grass left uncut will eventually grow diseased in most cases.

During a summer when "staycations" encourage homeowners to get the most enjoyment from their lawns, keeping lawn care as care-free as possible is a number-one priority.  A survey of lawn care experts from the nation's largest lawn care company, TruGreen, reveals the top ten mistakes that homeowners from across the country make and how to avoid them.

No. 10. Removing the lawn clippings after mowing. Lawn clippings are a great source of nutrients for your soil. Rather than bagging grass clippings when you mow, recycle clippings back into the soil. No. 9. Wrong plant, wrong place. Planting unsuitable grass or plant types for the agronomic region is an easily avoidable mistake. Ask a lawn care expert in your area for a list of the plants and grass types that will thrive with your average temperature and soil type. No. 8. Fertilizing Faux Pas. Fertilizing at the incorrect rate or at the incorrect time of year for your type of grass can seriously damage your lawn. Research the best time and rate to fertilize your grass to get maximum results. No, 7. Off Target Application. Fertilizer is a great source of nutrients for your lawn but it doesn't do much for your sidewalk, driveway or street. It's important to keep fertilizer applications on target to avoid potential nutrient run-off. No. 6. Misdiagnosis. Well-meaning do-it-yourselfers often inadvertently cause more harm than good by misdiagnosing a lawn problem. Unless you're positive of the problem, consult a lawn care specialist who can provide you with the correct solution for your lawn care challenges. No, 5. Seasonal Seeding. Eager to get their lawn looking great, homeowners are often anxious to seed new grass to thicken up their lawn. Seeding is typically best in the fall when grass is going into dormancy for the winter. No. 4. Trimming Trouble. Using a string trimmer too close to the base of a tree may actually kill the tree over time. It's important to be mindful of trees and shrubs when caring for your lawn. No. 3. Watering Woes. Watering is a tricky task. Avoid over or under watering your lawn - a slow steady water once a week is a good rule of thumb. Lawns require a minimum of 1 inch per week of water - or as much as local water restrictions allow -- achieved in about 30 minutes of watering. Be mindful of the weather and time of day when watering as well. Watering in the heat of the day actually wastes water to evaporation; water early in the morning to maximize the moisture on your lawn. . No. 2 Mowing Mishaps. Some homeowners try to reduce the number of times they mow by mowing too low, essentially "scalping" the grass. This can put the lawn into shock and allow weeds and insects to take over. Additionally, mowing with a dull blade increases water loss from plants and requires more gasoline to power the mower. And the number one-lawn care mistake to avoid this summer is....No, 1. Failure to Follow. All lawn care products come with instructions for proper use. Be sure to read and follow the instructions and you will avoid some potentially serious mistakes that could damage your lawn and the environment. "There's a lot more to proper lawn care than simply pushing a mower," explained Kirk Hurto, vice president, technical services for TruGreen. "If you really want a winning lawn this summer, you need to be aware of some basic lawn care principles. Knowing the mistakes to watch for is the first step to a gorgeous green lawn that can be an outdoor living room and playspace for family and friends." Hurto recommends that do-it-yourselfers seek lawn care advice from a qualified lawn care professional or the local Cooperative Extension Service. They can help direct you to the appropriate products, set a healthy watering schedule, and identify any problems you have.

The composting tumbler is a wonderful invention that is likely to be a truly positive improvement in the way you process the compost for your home garden. It is the difference between waiting for something to happen later and making something happen now. It is also potentially a major improvement in the way your composting area appears and should help to virtually eliminate any unwanted scent that may normally be a product of the composting process.   

A static composting pile, which represents the process referred to as “Anaerobic” composting in gardening terminology, generally just sits and slowly decomposes for an extensively long period of time before becoming really useful for your garden. In contrast, the method employed by composting tumblers is referred to as “Aerobic” composting. The aerobic method is like a space-age advancement in gardening technology, considering how much of a difference such a simple mechanical device can make in the composting process and how convenient it can be for your gardening needs.  It enables you to turn your table scraps into useful nutrients for your own garden with a fraction of the waiting involved with a simple pile.  

Before long, if it hasn't happened already, inhabitants of northern areas will see snowfall on their lawn. Many people wonder, "is snow bad for my lawn?" The answer is, it depends.

It is important to make sure that your lawn is ready for snow. While snow is not inherently damaging to a lawn, it can be if the lawn is left in certain conditions prior to the snowfall.

On a well-manicured lawn free of leaves, a healthy layer of snow will do no damage to your lawn.

Lose the Leaves

The best thing you can do for your lawn prior to a major snowfall is to clear the fallen leaves. Snow will bury these leaves rendering them into a "nature tarp" or sorts that will leave your lawn saturated in water. The moisture from snow will also combine with the leaves to extradite their disintegration process leaving a soupy mess of wet, decomposing leaves all over your lawn. This contocion can reveal a heavily damaged lawn when the snowfall melts away. 

Even though your grass doesn’t need much attention during the winter, it’s still important to follow some basic seasonal lawn care guidelines – especially if you live in a cold climate. Depending on temperature and weather conditions, your maintenance routine may vary considerably. Unfortunately, if you follow advice for the wrong climate or grass type, you may do unintentional harm to your lawn. Read on for advice based on your specific climate zone:

Northern Climate Winter Lawn Care

Whether you live in an area that receives an occasional snow shower or one where heavy snow storms are common, you’ll want to keep your lawn in top condition through the winter. Unfortunately, without some kind of protection during cold weather, your lawn might have a difficult time recovering in the spring. Although many resources recommend raking up leaves in the winter, you may want to wait until the spring so that your lawn has the benefit of their coverage. However, ground cover like leaves can provide a tempting home for rodents – so skip this method if you’re already fighting off pests.

When you think about lawn care, you probably think of mowing, trimming and using soil additives to enhance the condition of your grass. You probably don’t think about soil pH, but it’s just as important when it comes to lawn management. There are a number of things that can affect the pH of the soil your lawn depends on – if you aren’t careful, incorrect pH values can kill off your expensive plants and grasses. Therefore, it’s important to check the pH of your lawn every year in order to design an appropriate watering and fertilization regiment.

For the most part, grasses do best in neutral soil with a pH range of 6.5 to 7. Think of your lawn as an aquarium. If you’ve ever kept fish, you know that the acid or base salts dissolved in the water affect the pH value of the tank and play a significant role in whether or not your fish will survive. Or if you aren’t a fish enthusiast, maybe you’ve heard about azaleas and other plants that require enrichment with coffee and tea grounds in order to provide additional acid to the soil. As in both of these examples, the plants that make up your lawn require a specific pH in order to grow and thrive.

How to Fix Common Lawn Problems

Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter when trying to keep your lawn looking it's best:

Nitrogen Deficiency - Symptoms include slow growth and leaves that are light-green and turning yellowish. Older, lower to the ground grass leaves will often show the deficiency first - and the entire lawn is usually affected rather than spotting.

It’s that time of year again; with spring just around the corner, grass will soon be demanding your attention. In all likelihood, your lawn mower probably hasn’t seen the light of day in a few months. After pulling it out of the garage or storage shed and dusting off the cobwebs, there are a few more things to do before tackling that sprouting lawn.

1. Change the oil. This is a necessary step to ensure that your lawn mower stays reliable well beyond the summer. It’s not difficult to change your lawn mower’s oil, but if you’re not comfortable doing it, you can take it to a professional for a small fee. If you choose to do it yourself, elevate your mower on cinder blocks to enable access to the drain plug. It may be necessary to use a tool to remove dried grass clippings around the plug. With a bucket or jug in place to catch the oil, open the plug and wait until the oil stops draining. Screw the plug back on, and re-fill the reservoir with oil. SAE 30 engine oil is compatible with most lawn mowers. If you have a two-cycle engine, be sure to use the appropriate oil. When in doubt, refer to your owners manual for information on oil use.

Some plants will benefit from a little extra snow during the winter. Snow around the rose bushes will provide some insulation from the sap-chilling deep freeze of this past week. Bitterly cold temperatures for prolonged periods of time will result in more roses biting the dust this winter.

On the lawn, a thick layer of snow will not harm it, provided that there aren't leaves left on the surface. The snow and leaves combine to prevent air from the foliage. This is likely to lead to accumulation of water under the leaves which in turn will lead to putrefaction. If the grass is cut short in the fall, the lawn is less likely to get diseased by the longer leaf blades being smothered. The last mowing should always be a little shorter. (the problem I've had is that autumn doesn't seem to know when to quit, and I end up with 2 or 3 last cuts. Don't cut the lawn too short of course, as this makes it more susceptible to frost damage if there is little snow.