Summer lawn care is about
keeping your yard healthy while temperatures soar and rainfall becomes a
fleeting memory. Furthermore, it’s about maintaining a yard that can withstand
all games, parties, and running feet that summer has to offer. Here are some lawncare Simpsonville, SC tips from
professional service providers to keep your yard in shape over the long, hot
days of summer.
Summer after the spring
growing season brings quite a bit of stress to lawn grasses. Experts
recommend understanding and respecting
the seasonal changes of turf grasses, which will enable you to take appropriate
steps to care gently for your lawn as the mercury rises. Some cool-season
grasses like fescue, bluegrass, and rye grow best when temperatures are in the 60s F whereas
warm-season grasses including Zoysia, St. Augustine, Centipede, and Bermuda
like temperature in 70s. Yards begin to struggle a little once temperatures get
into the 80s and above with cool-season grasses suffering the most. In summer,
some cool-season yards even go dormant appearing brown and brittle until early
fall.
Watering Tips- Yards
need at least one inch of water per week, and more with increase in heat
severity. You can keep a track of the amount of water received from rainfall
and irrigation by using a rain-gauge; to reduce evaporation and fungal growth,
water early in the day; encourage drought-tolerant roots by watering deeply and
less frequently; you can either water your yard regularly and deeply, or don’t
water at all. If your yard goes dormant, there’s no need to worry, it should
recover once the weather changes.
Mowing Tips- In the
summer, raise your mower blade as taller grass is more drought-tolerant, grows
deeper roots, and helps shade the earth to prevent weed seeds from germinating.
When it comes to cool-season grasses, mow at 3”- 4” during the summer, or as
high as your blade will go, while warm-season grasses should be mowed at 2”-
3”; mulch grass clippings to keep moisture levels steady; mow on a regular
basis to prevent cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time which keeps
your grass healthier and prevents the clippings from smothering the grass; your
mower blades should be kept sharp. Minimize stress during hot temperatures by
making sure that your mower is cutting your grass instead of tearing it.
Weed Control- Summer is
the right time to get those growing weeds removed before they bloom and
disperse seed for next year. Targeted postemergent herbicides have been designed to kill broadleaf
weeds without harming the grass provided they are applied when temperatures are
below 85° F for a few days. Use sparingly when using a product or hand-pull
weeds instead as
any product can be damaging to already-stressed turf grasses during the heat of
summer.
Do Not Over Fertilize- Resist
the urge to fertilize your yard if it is looking untidy/messy in midsummer. Stop
fertilizing about 30 days before the arrival of your area’s summer
temperatures. Do not apply extra fertilizer as that can burn your yard and
create a flush of tender growth that will struggle in the hot summer weather.
Fertilizing dormant lawns is a big NO. Instead of chemical fertilizers, go for
organic fertilizers that are naturally slow-release, and they are much less
likely to burn your lawn (or pollute the environment).
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