5 lawn care tips to help your lawn survive the hottest months of the year
Ah, summertime. Between the heat and the vacation days, caring for your lawn is probably the last thing on your mind. But keeping your lawn healthy in the scorching heat is crucial to the health of your lawn year round. Here are some ways you can keep a healthy summer lawn.
Adjust your mower height
Lawn height is closely related to lawn health. If you give your grass a trim instead of a full cut when you mow, your grass will fair much better in the summer months. This is because longer blades of grass are able to soak in more nutrients, so every time you mow, you’re cutting much-needed nutrients off. To protect your lawn’s nutrient capacity, simply adjust your mower height to a higher setting.
Water properly and regularly
Sometimes this is difficult to do during summer months because of drought or watering restrictions. But your lawn needs water in order to stay healthy. There’s no need to water daily, as there is such a thing as overwatering! Instead, water 2-3 times per week, making sure your lawn gets a total of about 1-1.5 inches each week.
Also, to ensure your lawn stays healthy during the summer, start your watering routine in the spring! Waiting until the summer heat arrives to start a watering routine is unwise and ineffective.
Feed your lawn
Just like your lawn needs water to remain healthy, it also needs food! Feeding your lawn roughly every 6-8 weeks:
- keeps weeds under control
- helps the soil cool itself
- keeps your turf thick and green
Let it grow
Cutting your grass too often during the summer is detrimental to the health of your lawn. While it may sound crazy, the taller your grass is, the better it is able to regulate its own temperature. This is good news for you, because it means you don’t have to mow as often! To prevent over-cutting, mow every 10 days during summer months.
Be gentle with your lawn
Your lawn is highly sensitive to changes in the weather, so don’t mow during a drought and don’t mow wet grass. If the grass is too dry or too wet, your mowing can actually do more harm than good. Mow after a rain but when the grass has had time to dry.