Landscaping Outdoor Decorating

5 Essential Lawn Care Tasks For The Summer Season

As the spring growing season ends, summer brings a lot of stress to the lawn grasses. Besides the fact that heat and drought are quite damaging, we are not as forgiving in summer season as we happen to be in the winter. In such hot climate, watering, mowing correctly, fertilizing, weed control as well as maintenance are critical factors to make the lawn area a real asset to the landscape. Listed here are some tips and techniques that can help any homeowner in keeping the lawn healthy over the summer season.

Watering

Lawns require a minimum of one inch of water every week, plus more if the heat is intense. Irrigate the turf area as soon as grass shows indications of distress (folded leaf blades, bluish-grey color, or if foot prints remain in the grass after taking a walk). Apply around ¾ to 1-inch of water a week, preferably early in the morning between 4 to 7 am. The right quantity as well as timing is essential to promote deep-root systems and supplying water to the grass when needed the most.

Mowing

You should now increase the regularity in mowing your lawn. In case the conditions are well suited for growth, you might need to cut twice every week to keep it in good shape. Raise the mower blade in summer. Taller grass grows deeper roots, is far more drought-tolerant and also helps cover the earth to stop weed seeds from germination. Do not mow the lawn way too short when it is really hot as this may cause damage to the grass.

Fertilizing

Just like every living being, your lawn has to be fed. Lawns should be given their second treatment of fertilizer in the month of June. It certainly is better to fertilize your lawn right after mowing when the grass will be dry. In case the grass is moist, the fertilizer could stick to the blades and even burn the lawn. Selecting the suitable fertilizer for the grass is really an important aspect to growing a healthy, green lawn. The amount of fertilizer to be applied will depend on the formulation. A soil analysis is required to figure out the need for potassium and phosphorous.

Weed Control

Summer is the season to have those growing weeds eliminated before they bloom and spread. Specific post-emergent herbicides are produced to kill broad-leaf weeds with no harm done to the turf grass. But these should be applied when the temperature is expected to be less than 85° F for some days. Keep an eye out for bitten or chewed lawn roots, and patchy lawns which could point out an issue with chafer grubs and leather jackets. These are types of underground larvae that feast upon grass roots and are controlled by using naturally occurring worms called nematodes.

Maintenance

The entire landscape of your property should stay clean all the time, specially in the fall. Debris and leaves will find their way to the garden soil from nearby trees and can cause damage to the soil when not cleaned. Dethatching is crucial when thatch, that is the layer of living or dead stems, stolons, rhizomes and roots between green blades of the grass and the soil surface, is more than ½ inches. Not only does it provide the necessary aeration to the soil, it will also make the lawn look nice and tidy.