While escaping the heat of summer is easy for us to do by heading indoors and turning up the AC, this isn’t the case for your yard. You may have already noticed a few brown patches starting to pop up on what was once luscious green grass. While having a great sprinkler system is a good tool to help keep your yard looking healthy during the summer heat, there are a few other tricks you can apply to your yard to help it from getting scorched by summer heat.
Don’t Over Mow Your Grass
By keeping your grass maintained a little higher than you would during cooler months it allows the roots to extend deeper and prevent weeds from showing up. Weeds and grass compete for water, so by keeping your weeds to a bare minimum it will help your grass to remain healthy.
Avoid Fertilizing
If your lawn is looking rough come midsummer, try to resist the urge to fertilize it. A general rule of thumb says it is best to stop fertilizing about 30 days before summer arrives. Giving your lawn extra fertilizer during the summer heat can burn your lawn. If you do choose to fertilize, organic fertilizers are slow-release and less likely to burn your lawn — but we advise waiting until fall or spring.
Water During Morning
Be sure to water your grass in the morning because it isn’t as hot out and less water will be lost to evaporation from sunlight. Another benefit from watering your lawn in the morning is that you’re also giving it more time to hydrate before night comes. Giving your lawn half an inch of water twice a week should help keep your grass hydrated and green.
Minimize Lawn Traffic
While it’s probably impossible to avoid walking on your lawn, you can definitely limit how much traffic it sees. Grass during the summer season is dryer, so walking on it can lead to damage. Heavy foot traffic can cause packed in soil, which prevents air from getting down to the roots.
Plant Trees
For a more permanent solution, plant some trees in order to provide shade throughout your yard. It may not be a quick fix, but these trees will help to provide shaded areas for many years to come. Trees also help improve air quality, increase property value and provide a relaxing home environment.
While it may seem like a hassle at first, following the above steps will help to keep your lawn looking healthy throughout the summer heat. Your grass will tolerate heat more easily if it is kept healthy throughout the year so be sure to follow proper fertilization, watering, mowing and pest control tips.
In need of new grass? Contact the team at RiverView Turf today!
