Some of the best parts of summer include playing in our own spaces. Make the most of your summer lawn by following a few simple tips for great lawn care and maintenance.
- High sun in midsummer takes a toll on your turf make sure your watering schedule includes deep watering opportunities in the early morning hours. Watering recommendations for lawns include approximately 4-6 inches of soak before shutting off the access. Manage your watering wisely to avoid evaporation or fungal growth if watering after large rainfalls.
- Weeds never just go away so, continue to spot spray weeds with a weed killer. Manage edges of lawn turf near difficult spaces with a weed whacker.
- Use feed on your lawn at different intervals during the summer to encourage a thick turf of healthy grass.
- Sharpen your mower blades for a quick and efficient pass of the blades on the grass. Lower your blade in the spring and cooler months, raise the blade in the hot months to avoid burning your turf.
- Let clippings lie, don’t collect them in a waste bag. Mulch is some of the best opportunity for natural breakdown to occur that will help feed the turf.
- Natural remedies for fungus circles can include but are not limited to neem oil, compost tea, and baking soda contact applications.
- Preventing and controlling crab grass is best done in the spring months when herbicide can attack the pre-emerging plants and prevent them from spreading.
- If you have Clover in your lawn and it is spreading, it could be that your lawn has not been fertilized enough. Clover thrives in undernourished turf. Weed and Feed mixture turf applications are available for a thick clover problem. Although, it can be contained by weed pulling and weed killer spot applications with sparse growth needs.
- If you are struggling with uneven growth in the shade the best opportunity to grow grass would be to choose a shade tolerant seed of grass or shade tolerant ground cover in and around pine trees.
- If the grass is thinning you may want to consider aeration of the turf. Using an aerator will help build thicker and stronger grass roots by puncturing holes and allowing the nutrients to penetrate. Aeration should only be done in the growing season to allow the turf to heal after the application.
Continue to enjoy your summer and have the best lawn for flawless curb appeal and family fun with these care and maintenance tips. Enjoy!
