Five midseason (summer) tips on ways to encourage healthy lawns.
How do we landscape gardeners keep lawns healthy after the flush of lush spring growth? I have a friend who always says to those of us in acid soil country "Lime your lawn. It will thank you!" However, here are a few more simple things that we can do to insure healthy green lawn spaces:
- Start with consistent irrigation adjusted to your local weather conditions. This means no watering every day or during summer downpour storms! Watch those settings on automatic irrigation systems.
- Choose one fertilizing scheme and stick with it. A good place to start finding information is my article about Stress-free Fertilization.
- Regulate heights on mower to lawn growth cycles and keep those blades sharp! Less frequent mowing is the rule in summer. Another simple rule of thumb is never take out more than one-third (?) of the leaf surface each time you mow. Put another way…keep most grasses at two-inches-high, and those like Bermuda, Zoysiagrass and Centipede at 1.5-inches-high. Do not mow when the grass is not growing!
- Make use of high quality seed when patching bald spots. Irrigate lightly several times per day until seed is germinated and established. Some patching mixtures contain fertilizers and organic substances like shredded paper or compost for mulch. This gives the patching grass a little bit of a head start. These are more expensive than plain grass seed, but worth it if you only have a few spots.
- Look ahead to autumn lawn chores. Read Lawn Maintenance - Northeast U.S.: A Calendar for Routine Cultural Practices to decide which jobs to schedule for the autumn. An extremely important job is to collect soil for a soil test. If you live in a region that has acid soil (low pH) you need to apply lime according to test recommendation. Low ph prevents grasses from absorbing nutrients they need to grow well.
If you have any simple ideas or tips for lawn care please send an e-mail to me. Thanks!
