With the Spring season officially come and gone, it’s time to get your lawn ready for the Summer months. After a great Spring season allowed for the grass to grow quickly and steadily, it’s time to make sure your lawn is healthy and ready for the Summer season and the dry, warm weather it brings.
Properly caring for your lawn can make all of the difference between a lush, healthy lawn and a dried, dead lawn in the Summer. By planning ahead and taking the proper steps, you can ensure that your lawn will be green and healthy throughout the Summer months. We’ve created a simple table of tips for maintaining a healthy and vibrant lawn all Summer long – see below.
Do:
Mow the grass at a taller height. Raising the wheels on your walk behind mower or raising the deck on your riding mower will allow for a taller cut. The longer grass blades provide greater protection in the summer heat and reduce water loss in the soil.
Don’t:
Mow the grass shorter. Shorter grass cannot hold the moisture and nutrients as well in the summer heat and can lead to the “burned” look of a dying lawn.
Do:
Sharpen your lawn mower blades regularly. Maintaining sharp blades throughout the mowing season is essential for a clean cut with every pass.
Don’t:
Mowing all season without sharpening and changing your blades is never a good idea. Sharp blades result in a clean cut while dull blades can damage the grass.
Do:
Mulching your yard clippings is ideal in the hot summer months. The discharged yard clippings provide nutrients to the soil while composting before becoming thatch.
Don’t:
Collecting your grass clippings in a bagger system during the summer months can do more harm than good sometimes. The excess clippings provide protection from the sun while also adding nutrients to the soil.
Do:
Watering your lawn is essential to maintaining a healthy and vibrant lawn all summer long. Even though watering daily might not be possible depending upon where you live, the more frequent you can irrigate the better. Irrigating in the morning is ideal because it provides moisture to the lawn going into the day.
Don’t:
Avoid irrigating your lawn during the afternoon. Watering your lawn at the hottest part of the day results in more water being lost to evaporation than absorption into the soil.