Having a great-looking turf all through summer need not be cumbersome or time-consuming. All you need is to start early, know what to do and when, and give your lawn some additional TLC to protect it from the scorching weather. Here are 12 tips that will help you nurture your yard into a lush green lawn this summer.
- Proper watering is important to help your lawn sustain through the peak of summer. As a rule, the right time to water is when you notice the grass has turned a grey-blue shade or when the blades don’t spring back straight after someone steps on them. Irrigating with at least an inch of water once a week early in the morning should keep the grass in good shape.
- Mow your turf in the early morning hours or before sunset—you’ll be able to do a better job when the sun is not burning your back. Don’t trim the grass blades too small, as taller blades (three inches or more) will capture more sunlight and use it to make nutrients for the soil and roots. In addition, longer blades provide shade to the soil, keeping it moist when the sun is at its peak. A good rule is to trim no more than a third of the height of grass every time you mow.
- If you didn’t fertilize your lawn at the onset of spring, now is a good time to use a good organic fertilizer to enhance the growth of new grass. Avoid fertilizing, however, if you have cool-season growth, as such grass flourishes in cold weather and fertilizing now could do more harm than good.
- If you love your lawn too much to spoil it with DIY maintenance, hire a seasoned turf management service for proper maintenance through adequate and systematic irrigation, lawn aeration, weed control, and fertilization. If there are any barren patches, have them seeded by a professional lawn care expert to avoid overseeding and overwatering.
- Be very particular about weed removal as these can grow unabashed in summer as your yard tends to be ignored because of the hot weather. Inspect the lawn every other day for weeds and remove them from the root at the earliest. Use a weeder or pull with your hands, but make sure to remove the entire growth. If there are too many weeds to remove manually, use an herbicide to kill the growth.
- Alan Lander from Hydro Dynamics Corporation says that lawn aeration is a great service for keeping your grass healthy, green, and beautiful. The process of aeration involves pricking the soil of the entire yard to relieve compaction and allow deeper penetration of nutrients. It improves soil drainage, allows more air into the soil and thereby stimulates healthy growth.
- Use the grass waste from mowing to nourish your turf by distributing it all over the lawn. The shredded blades will not only supply the soil with essential nutrients, but they will also provide additional shade against the sun.
- Keep your lawn clean by clearing fallen leaves and other debris regularly as these can alter the soil’s composition and affect future quality and growth of your grass.
- Remember that even when it’s extremely hot, excessive watering can increase the moisture content of your soil and leave it infertile. Especially if you have tall grass, it will help to keep the soil moist and shade it from the sun, so you need only water as needed.
- Remove dead grass and other plant debris by dethatching your yard. A thick layer of dead flora can restrict the flow of water, air, and sunlight into the roots of healthy grass and also give weeds a potent breeding ground. Remember, however, that thatch is not entirely useless—in winter months it protects the roots. So dethatching should be done taking into account a number of factors, including the time of year. If you’re not sure how to remove thatch or how much to remove, consult a turf care specialist.
- If your lawn is distressed because of too much traffic, your turf-conservation efforts could go in vain. An easy solution is to install stepping stones on the most frequented paths and minimize movement in the areas with poor growth or bald patches.
- Last but not least, it’s a good idea to have your soil tested at the onset of summer, which will help you determine how much feeding and watering it would need for healthy growth.