Four Things You Must Do For Your Lawn During The Hot Months

In Summer, your lawn may turn brown and go dormant in an attempt to preserve itself in preparation for the cooling of fall, but you can keep it as green as spring by following these simple steps. Following are 4 tips for homeowners on maintaining a healthy, green lawn all summer.

Water Correctly

Assuming you want to keep your lawn green all summer, you need to water 2-3 times per week in the early morning. Sprinkling in the evenings can promote fungus as the water remains hot in the lawn during the night. A couple of heavy sprinklings during the week is much better than frequent, light watering which creates a shallow root system in the turf.

Mow Your Grass Tall and Mulch It

It's never a good idea to cut your grass low. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in a single cutting. During the hot, dry summer, your lawn may not grow as fast as in the spring, but you should still maintain a regular mowing schedule and mulch or "recycle" the clippings back into the lawn. Mulching clippings returns natural moisture back into the turf.

Apply Organic Nitrogen

Organic nitrogen fertilizers applied in the summer help your lawn maintain its color and vigor. Organic fertilizers are naturally slow releasing so they won't cause excess growth. Lawns need nitrogen during hot and humid periods to help fight off lawn diseases and fungus such as Red Thread and Dollar Spot. You should only follow this step if you plan to keep your lawn well irrigated during dry periods.

Be Wary of Grubs

Grub worms are the larvae of the Japanese Beetle and they will destroy a lawn if left to feed freely in high populations. Grubs feed on your turf's root system, in a sense "sweeping its legs from under it" and killing large areas into the fall. There is no way to tell if your lawn is infested with grub worms until you see actual damage, so be sure to put down a long-lasting grub worm preventative treatment in early summer. There are organic controls available for grubs. Milky Spore is the most popular, but it only offers nominal control at best.

Keeping your lawn green during the hot months takes a bit more effort that in the spring. Keep an eye on every section of your turf to ensure nothing gets missed and you're sure to be the envy of all your neighbors during late July and August barbecues!