Lawn Care - Maintaining A Beautiful Lawn In Summer

As the heat of Summer arrives, it brings with it new lawn care challenges to maintain the beauty of our lawns under the stress that the season brings. Our lawns can suffer dehydration in both soil and sod which can cause shock or sickness to the turf, as well as the risk of hydrophobia (water repellence) occurring in the soil. These symptoms are caused by the combination of the increase in temperature and diminished rainfall.

On days of extreme heat over 100 degrees F (38 C), poorly maintained lawns can go into shock with rapid leaf and root dehydration occurring, and possibly the death of the lawn from heat exposure.

Lawn care in Summer consists of our overall important year round lawn care regime, as well as a method of counteracting days of extreme heat which can put the survival of the lawn at risk.

A correct year round watering regime is vital to Summer lawn health. By adhering to the important principle of watering lawns both deeply and less frequently, we encourage the growth of a deep root system which grows below the evaporation level of the soil. The result of a deep root system is a lawn that requires less water all year round, and most importantly for the purpose of this article, is more resistant to Summer heat stress. Daily watering should be avoided at all costs as it promotes a shallow root system which is easily dried out and destroyed on hotter days. Watering deeply and twice weekly is suitable for most lawn varieties in warmer climates.

The next part of water usage and lawn protection in Summer involves the use of Wetting Agents. As many soils dry out in Summer they can become less able to re-absorb water and retain moisture effectively when it is applied. This symptom is called hydrophobia, and the good news is that it can be easily controlled and resolved by the use of Wetting Agents. These miraculous and inexpensive products allow the soil to retain water for longer and distribute the water more evenly across the soil profile. In times when the soil does dry out, it can be more easily re-hydrated when Wetting Agents are present.

Under most conditions in warmer climates there is usually little or no need to use lawn fertilisers in Summer because lawns are already thriving in their peak growing conditions. If a lawn owner believes the sod does require fertilising then the fertiliser should be applied in the morning and watered into the sod immediately. Under no circumstances should the fertiliser be left on the lawn on hot days as the Nitrogen from the lawn fertiliser will burn the lawn leaf material, causing severe damage to the lawn.

The final lawn care tip for maintaining a beautiful lawn in Summer can be categorised as an emergency measure only. Whenever we are aware from weather forecasts that the day will involve extreme hot weather, and we are also aware that the lawn may not have been watered for several days, then the lawn should be given a good watering in the morning only. Watering during the heat of the day not only wastes the majority of that water through evaporation, but can also increase the surface temperature of the lawn leaf and increase the risk of the lawn being burnt.

Summer lawn care is relatively simple for most lawns, just a few easy routines with common sense care and almost every lawn can be a beautiful carpet of green for it’s owner to enjoy in the warmth and for the length of Summer.