Preparing your Lawn for the Dog Days of Summer

The spring weather is beautiful right now. But before long we’ll find ourselves in the dog days of summer. Scorching heat without end and long periods without rain. Even the best cared-for lawns suffer under these conditions.

The key to maintaining a healthy lawn in the peak of summer heat comes down to two things – water and mowing. Here are a few tips for lawn mavens and newbies alike:

Watering Your lawn

Many people think the answer to summer heat is watering, watering, watering. However when soil is constantly wet, it causes diseases. Grass only needs one inch of water per week, including rainfall. Less frequent, thorough waterings are better than more frequent, shallow ones. Giving your lawn a deep watering promotes deeper root growth resulting in greater drought tolerance. Water your lawn in the morning when cooler. This allows more of the water to soak into the ground instead of evaporating. And, once you start watering your lawn for the season, don’t stop. Keep to a habit of watering once a week unless there’s been a good rain.

Mowing Your Lawn

When mowing your summer lawn, keep two things in mind – height of the cut and mower blades.

Your lawn does not have to be cut short to look neat and trim. Set your blades as high as possible. Your grass has a crown from which the new growth emerges. If your lawn is cut too short it reduces its ability to grow well. A longer blade of grass shades the crown and protects it from burning. In addition tall blades of grass are able to get more light during peak sun hours and therefore more nutrients. And, the taller grass helps maintain moisture in the soil. If you know what type of grass you have, ask us at Augustine Nursery what the proper cutting height is for your lawn.

Make sure the blades of your mower are kept sharp. When grass is cut with a dull blade, it tears the plant tissue making it more susceptible to stress and disease. A sharp blade will keep your lawn greener as the cut edge will heal instead of turning brown.

One last mowing tip – Do not bag your clippings. Use a mulch mower that returns clippings to the lawn. Clippings act as a slow-release fertilizer as they decompose and shades the soil, keeping moisture from evaporating.