Taking care of your lawn in the summer can be overwhelming. It can be hard to remember what to do and in what order. Here’s your guide to summer lawn care!
The latest reports show that 78 percent of Americans have a home with a lawn. Of that 78 percent, 69 percent say that their lawn could use some improvement.
Are you part of this group? Is your lawn looking a little worse for wear?
If you want to have a great-looking lawn that boosts your home’s curb appeal, you need to make summer lawn care a priority. It’s not always easy to know where to start when it comes to taking care of your lawn, though.
Read on to learn some essential summer lawn care tips that will keep your yard looking great during the hottest months of the year.
Give Your Lawn Enough Water
Thirty-eight percent of Americans say they never water their lawns! The first step to get a lawn that really stands out is to make sure you’re watering it on a regular basis.
When it comes to watering your lawn, it’s not enough just to turn on a sprinkler and hope for the best.
Your lawn should receive at least one inch of water each week — and it may need more during very hot weather. You should time the watering of your lawn so that more water gets absorbed by the soil and doesn’t evaporate.
Remember, too, that you can’t revive your lawn with tons of water after it’s gone brown. You need to stay on top of the watering process to prevent that from happening in the first place.
Know Your Grass
In order to figure out how much water your lawn needs, you’ll have to do some digging to figure out what type of grass you have. Different types of grass need different amounts of water, after all.
In New Jersey, cool-season grasses like Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass are the most popular types.
These grasses have higher drought tolerance and tend to go dormant when water is scarce. However, cool-season grasses also need more water than other types of grasses in order to thrive.
Know Your Soil
Besides knowing the type of grass growing in your yard, you need to know the type of soil it’s growing in, too.
Sandy soil absorbs water quickly and needs less water on a more frequent basis, while clay absorbs water slowly and does not need as much water. Loam absorbs water more evenly than either of these other soil types.
In order to figure out what type of soil you have, you’ll need to consult an expert or send off a soil sample to be analyzed by a lab.
Keep it Mowed
Make sure your lawn stays mowed throughout the summer.
You should mow your lawn on a regular basis, but avoid cutting too much of the grass at once. If you cut too much, your grass will be less healthy.
Clippings from the lawn mower could end up smothering your grass, too, which isn’t ideal if you want your lawn to be healthy and receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Vary Your Mowing Pattern
Most people who mow their own lawns have a specific pattern they tend to follow. This might not seem like an issue initially. It can actually have a negative effect on the health and appearance of your lawn, though.
When you mow in the same pattern over and over again, you might end up placing too much wear on specific areas of the yard. To avoid this, you’ll need to switch up the way you mow your lawn each time.
Fertilize at the Right Time
Fertilizer helps to keep your grass healthy and green. If you don’t fertilize at exactly the right time, though, you could end up doing more harm than good.
Fertilizing too late in the season can actually burn your lawn. It can also create growth that will struggle to survive during the hottest months of the year.
Remember to never fertilize a dormant lawn, either. If you missed the boat, you’ll have to wait until later when the weather cools back down.
Control Weed Growth
You’ll have to work hard to keep weeds at bay during the summer months, too. You’ll need to act fast to tackle weeds that pop up before they can multiply and wreak havoc on your yard.
Look for products that will kill weeds without harming your grass, and make sure you apply them at the proper time when the weather is not too hot.
Avoid Insects and Diseases
In addition to combating weeds, you’ll need to take steps to keep insects away, too.
Grubs are one of the most common insects that people have to deal with during the summer, as that is the season when they hatch. Be on the lookout for signs that insects have overtaken your lawn so you can get them under control as soon as possible.
Remember that fungal diseases can occur during the summer, too. You may need to apply a fungicide to address this issue.
Stick to a Schedule
If you want to have a nice lawn, the kind that people exclaim over during backyard barbecues, you need to stick to a lawn care schedule. You can’t just mow and water it whenever it crosses your mind.
The specific lawn care schedule you’ll follow will vary depending on the type of grass and soil you have, as well as the general climate in which you live.
You’ll have to do some research to figure out when is the best time to fertilize and water your lawn to get the best results.
Get Help with Your Summer Lawn Care
As you can see, there’s a lot to keep in mind when it comes to summer lawn care.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the idea of having to remember all these steps, that’s okay. Not everyone has to the time to think about varying their mowing pattern or make sure they’re fertilizing their yard at the proper time.
If the idea of trying to juggle summer lawn care on top of everything else in your life is making you nauseated, contact us today at High Tech Landscapes.
We provide assistance with every step of your summer lawn care routine and are here to take care of the hard stuff for you.
With us working for you, you’ll have more time to sit back, relax, and enjoy your summer without having to worry about keeping your lawn in good shape.
