Summertime fun and excessive heat put stress on your lawn. While you’re soaking up the sun, high temperatures, scalding rays, drought, high traffic, pest, and diseases damage the grass. This is the time your turf needs some tender loving care. Maintain a healthy lawn this summer with these four tips.

Know How to Mow

How you mow your lawn plays a big role in having a healthy lawn. Don’t mow too often or cut grass too short. Adjust the mower blade to cut grass at about three inches. Taller grass shades the soil from the sun’s heat, allowing it to better maintain moisture. It also encourages healthy root growth. Make sure to sharpen mower blades regularly. A dull blade cuts grass roughly. This not only looks less appealing, but creates opportunity for disease to enter.

Water Efficiently

Deep and infrequent waterings are best, allowing moisture to reach the roots. Water in the morning, preferably before 10am. Any time later and the heat from the sun causes too much evaporation before the water has time to sink into the soil. Also, don’t water too close to the evening. Moist grass in the overnight hours creates a good environment for fungal diseases to thrive.

Proper Feeding

Fertilizing your lawn before summer sets in gives it extra strength to get through the hot weather stresses. Give it a good feeding after the season, too, to help it heal. For a little extra nutrition, occasionally leave the clippings on the lawn after mowing. The clippings help the turf retain moisture, then they break down and provide nutrients for the soil. This process is called “grasscycling.”

Keep It Clean

We spend more time outdoors in the summer and that means more traffic on the lawn. From kids’ toys to lawn furniture to dog excrement, grass takes a beating. Be good to the grass by cleaning up toys and debri regularly. Dilute dog urine by hosing down areas that are starting to yellow. Better yet, create a special area for the dog to do his business, preferably a pebbled or paved area. Never let visitors who need an extra place to park do so on the lawn.

Call Us

These simple tips will help keep your turf in top shape through the warmer weather. But if your lawn starts showing signs of yellow or brown patches, faded color, dry frazzled blades, and weed invasions, call in an expert for help. Contact Free Spray Lawn Care today at 419-529-5296 and we’ll help you keep your lawn healthy this summer and throughout the year.