Summertime lawns can be beautiful, with all that lush green grass serving as a backdrop for your summer activities. Summertime lawns can also present challenges. Here are some tips from our senior lawn technician, Steve, to let you know what to expect this summer and how to best maintain your lawn.
What to Expect
- Extreme temperatures and drought, which can dry out lawns and kill grass.
- Dormancy as a result of stress and extreme heat. Usually, grass will turn brown in color and new growth slows or stops completely.
- Crabgrass, especially alongside driveways, curbs, walkways, and other paved areas that heat up and cause damage to existing grass. This process allows crabgrass to flourish.
- Weeds, particularly clover, cinquefoil, violets, dandelions, and nutsedge.
- Fungi, especially red thread fungus, which begins to appear in May and June. It can continue to appear throughout the summer, as humid conditions are ideal for its growth.
- Insects such as grubs, ants, chinch bugs, and sod webworm.
Tips for Optimum Summer Lawn Maintenance
The following suggestions to help maintain summertime lawns include cultural/physical controls and Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
- Regular watering/irrigation. We recommend watering daily during the hot summer months, from 20 to 30 minutes per zone. This timing can be adjusted based on temperatures, whether sections of lawn are in direct sunlight all day, and the amount of rainfall. Lawns with irrigation are less likely to suffer the effects of drought and extreme temperatures.
- The BEST time to water is early in the morning, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. This timing allows for maximum absorption and generates less fungi.
- A regular, professional lawn care program consisting of crabgrass, weed, and insect prevention.
- Bag or rake-out your lawn clippings because they contribute to the growth of fungi, notably red thread. To prevent the growth of fungi, wipe down or clean mowing blades after every mow to slow and prevent the spread of fungi.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have, or request a free estimate.
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