Summer Lawn Care

Ah, the stresses of Summer Lawn Care. What’s that? You don’t feel particularly stressed during that season? Well, it isn’t you that needs relief, it’s your lawn. After hibernating all Winter and growing all Spring, your lawn must now endure the punishing heat of Summer. While you may be O.K. with kicking back in the shade and sipping a cool drink, your grass could probably use a little help. These Summer Lawn Care tips will help you give your lawn the love it needs.

Water

First and foremost, you need to water the right way. One temptation during Summertime is to water during the hottest part of the day. The grass is hot, why not cool it off? Generally, this is a bad idea, as much of the water is wasted to evaporation; this process also dries out the soil, degrading its quality. Instead, watering between the hours of 10pm and 6am is ideal. If you aren’t awake at these times (or unwilling to do yard work), a timer can be used for automation. One exception is on very hot, sunny days with warm nights: sometimes it is a good idea to do a quick watering (5 min. or so) during the hot part of the day, in order to prepare the lawn for the night-watering. As for the quantity of water needed, aim for infrequent and deep waterings, that will maintain healthy roots and minimize evaporative hardening. Depending on your sprinkler, the time can vary from 15 min. to over an hour. If unsure, put out a shallow pan (see our post on proper watering) or rain gauge while you water. Once this has filled to about 1.5 inches, you are done. Make sure the water isn’t puddling in the yard; if so, it may indicate clay soil. This can be solved with plug aeration come Fall or Spring. If there is puddling, try watering for 10 min., then waiting 10 min., then watering again, until you hit the 1.5 mark; this will help your lawn absorb the water until you have a chance to break up the soil later in the year.

Mowing

Next on the Summer Lawn Care checklist is good ol’ mowing. You may be saying, “Its really hot outside, so I guess I’ll cut my grass really short”. Stop right there, a short haircut in the Summer may feel good for you, but for your lawn it can be crippling. Set your mower to the highest setting (5 or 6) and don’t lower it back down until October. Further, mow at least once a week so that you are taking about ¾ in. off the top each cut; be sure to leave the clippings in the yard.

There are three primary reasons for doing these things:

1. Keeping your grass tall provides natural shade for choking out weeds.

2. A tall lawn will better retain moisture and resist the damaging effects of heat.

3. Frequent mowing produces short clippings that act as a natural fertilizer and minimize the production of thatch (hay/straw) in the lawn.




You might be saying, “But I like my lawn short and tight, otherwise it looks all scraggly!”. Well, short and tight in late Fall, Winter, and early Spring is fine, but your grass is not analogous to hair. It needs length for the reasons listed above, otherwise it will suffer. Further, it probably looks scraggly because it isn’t healthy. Once the proper techniques are used, consistently, your grass will start to fill out and actually look better when mowed high.




Fertilization & Weed Control

The third and final Summer Lawn Care topic is Fertilization and Weed Control. These generally involve a variety of chemicals that can be applied to the lawn. Many of these have valid uses, but during the Summer it is very important to minimize the use of these products. All you should be putting down is a granular, slow-release nitrogen product (our favorite is all-natural Milorganite™) for feeding. Avoid all herbicides, both pre-emergent and post-emergent, especially the liquid spray variety. Even the ones used by TruGreen™ and WeedMan™, supposedly safe for grass, can be very hard on the turf and simply not worth the marginal weed control benefits they provide. Weeds can be dealt with in the Fall and Spring; Summertime is when your lawn needs to be in full protective mode. Too much (or the wrong kind of) fertilizer, and any amount of herbicide, will stress your lawn, which is what you want to avoid.




A few other tips and tricks for Summer Lawn Care involve the more advanced aspects of horticulture. Seeding and overseeding is generally inadvisable. Seedlings need a constant supply of moisture (sometimes twice a day), so you won’t be growing much new grass in the heat. Plug aeration and dethatching are great for your lawn, but not during the Summer. Wait until Fall to do this, as your lawn will be a little stressed out for a few weeks afterward. In the cooler and more rain-filled Fall, it will bounce back fast.




Summary:

1. Water deeply, infrequently, and at night.

2. Mow high, frequently.

3. Use a single application of slow-release nitrogen in early Summer; avoid applying any other product to your lawn.

4. Don’t bother seeding in the Summer.

5. Avoid anything that will stress your lawn more than necessary, such as excessive foot/vehicle traffic, and traumatic techniques like aeration, dethatching, etc.

Check out our free eBook for more advice.



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• David Reagan

  David is a partner at Upkeep™. He is a navy man and graduate of Georgetown College. He's the most intelligent lawn care professional you'll ever meet.