How To

Best Practices for Watering and Maintaining Your Lawn During Summer

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Summer is typically the season where people spend more time outside than any other season. It’s been unusually hot this year, but people are still enjoying time outside and in their yards. We thought it would be a good idea to share some tips for maintaining a healthy, beautiful yard!

Water, correctly.

There’s a common misconception that during the summer months you need to water more often. However, the way you water is more important than how often you water. Grasses and plants are somewhat resilient and have responses that help them manage summer heat. (For example, grasses may go dormant and start to brown during times of drought.) If grasses are well cared for during this period, they usually return to normal when there is adequate moisture.

Top 5 Tips for Watering:

  • Water your plants less often, but for longer periods of time per area.
  • Water early in the morning so that the heat doesn’t pull moisture from your plants. Your plants can make better use of the hydration early in the morning and the roots will thank you!
  • As a general rule, grasses should get at least one inch of water per week.
  • If you don’t have a sprinkler system, consider using drip irrigation instead of sprinklers. Drip irrigation waters plants slowly over time and water is less likely to run off or evaporate.
  • Try to avoid watering after the sun goes down. After sunset, water will leave your grass wet overnight… encouraging fungal growth.

Mow correctly.

You might be tempted to mow the grass on lower height settings to reduce how often you have to mow. But proper mowing techniques will help promote the good health of your lawn while you are getting some exercise! Remember that grass needs to stay at a certain level to fight off drought and the onset of a brown and spotted lawn, so don’t cut it too short. Cutting the grass too short will hurts its natural ability to thrive in the summer heat. If you aren’t sure what height to mow at, stay on the high side of the mower’s blade height settings.

Remove weeds from your grass. They steal nutrients and can take over parts of your yard.

With all demands on your time, please don’t forget to take a break and relax. Grab a lemonade and enjoy the beauty of your backyard!