Helping Your Lawn Survive the End of Summer

When it comes to your summer lawn care, you are in the home stretch. However, these last few weeks of intense sunlight and August heat can certainly be challenging. If your lawn and foliage is looking rather abused by the summer heat, there are a few things you can do to help your landscape make it to the break of fall.

#1 Retain Moisture

Although it is the foliage that looks damaged during the hot months, it is actually the soil that is deprived of moisture. Retaining moisture in your soil is the key ingredient to having lush green grass through the end of summer. In order to do this, make sure to dethatch and aerate during the spring or fall. This improves the uptake of air, water, and nutrients by your grass root system, but it promotes water loss if done during the hot summer months. You can also adjust your mower height to a higher setting, which allows the grass to protect the topsoil from direct sunlight and retain more moisture.

#2 High Volume/Low Frequency Irrigation

In general, a lawn needs at least 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation, to maintain optimal vigor and color. Consider irrigating at higher volume and lower frequency. This tends to be preferred over a lighter, daily watering schedule because shallow waterings can more easily evaporate and the moisture needs to truly saturate the soil to promote deeper root development.

#3 Reduce Lawn Stress Factors

Keeping your turf free from extra stress can help it thrive in difficult summer growing conditions. First, be sure the soil maintains a slightly acidic pH, between 6 and 7 so that it can absorb proper nutrients. Next, check your mowing habits, as this can be a significant reason for lawn stress. Are your mower blades sharpened? Are you mowing too much? Try not to mow your lawn until 1/3 of the grass blade has regrown.

If you need help maintaining your lawn during the last weeks of summer or if you want to prepare your landscape for the fall, choose Pannone’s Lawn Pros & Landscaping. We are equipped to care for all types of landscapes during any season of the year.