Good summer lawn care in Chicago, Chattanooga, or wherever you live isn’t as complicated as it might seem. High temperatures and irregular watering and mowing are the primary causes of fading color, weeds, insects, and disease. Here’s the way to deal with it all:
1. How To Water
A lawn needs hydration as much you do in the heat, but with water at a premium in some parts of the country, there are several ways to conserve:
- Water early in the day. Watering first thing in the morning gives time for the soil to soak it in before the midday sun evaporates it.
- Water infrequently but deeply. Once or twice a week should do it. If only the top layer of soil is moistened, it will dry out too quickly before the grass can benefit. Forcing the grass roots to reach down for water below will also make them stronger.
- Do the tuna can test. An established lawn needs about an inch of water each week. Check how much your lawn is receiving by running a test with some empty tuna cans. Place them around the lawn and see how much water they get in a watering cycle. Adjust your timing accordingly.
2. How to Mow
You’re not getting away with anything by allowing the grass to get overgrown and then mowing it short so you have a longer time between sessions. It’s not good for your lawn and can cause other problems.
- Sharpen mower blades. Sharp blades make clean cuts and don’tleave ragged edges that provide an entryway for pests and disease. Generally, a blade stays sharp through ten hours of mowing. Keep a spare blade on hand to save you from stopping in the middle of the job if it looks as if it’s time to sharpen up.
- Don’t cut too short. Mow when your lawn is at the tallest height recommended for the type of grass you have, which is typically 2-4 inches. Then just remove the top third of the blades. Cutting the grass too short doesn’t leave enough nutrients in the leaf blades and it also exposes the soil to sunlight, making water evaporate more quickly and letting weeds thrive as well.
- Don’t clean up. The bonus to mowing the right way is that since you’re only cutting an inch or so each time, you can leave the clippings in place as compost and shade for the soil.
3. How To Control Pests
Insects and disease prey on heat-stressed lawns.
- In some regions, grubs are a problem, and they hatch over the summer, so consult with your local garden center to find out the best time to use grub control.
- Summer is the time for fungal diseases, so you may need to use a fungicide.Powdery mildew and brown patch disease thrive in extended periods of wet grass, so don’t water at night.
4. How To Control Weeds
Summer is not the time for broad applications of herbicides that can stress the grass even further. You can spot-treat contained areas of weeds, and if you’ve got the energy, you can remove weeds like dandelions, clover, and chickweed by hand.
5. How To Fertilize
Spring and fall are the times to fertilize a cool-season lawn, but warm-season turf does need extra nutrients during its summer growing season. Use the correct fertilizer for the type of grass you have, but use it cautiously because over-fertilizing during hot weather can burn the lawn.
6. And Now How To Relax
What? That’s right. There’s nothing more to do. If you’ve got cool-season grass it will go dormant in mid-summer heat. Don’t force it. The lawn will come back on its own once the weather cools. Most turf grass can survive three to four weeks of dormancy without dying. Be gentle, though, and don’t mow or allow hard play or too much foot traffic on it. When the heat subsides, deep watering will encourage root growth.
For more information on keeping your lawn healthy this summer and great summer lawn care, check out The Lawn Institute.
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