Healthy Lawn Care Guide for Summer

Now that Summer is here, keeping your lawn healthy during the hot months is important. Following these five tips will help you keep your lawn looking good all Summer long!

1. Make sure you are properly watering yoru grass

Often, many homeowners tend to water their lawns too much or not enough. There are a couple of signs that your lawn is not getting watered properly. Grass turning brown or a dull green typically means that it needs more water. If you walk in your yard and there is a trail of footsteps left behind, it is also a sign that the grass needs more water. It should only take a few seconds for the grass to stand back up if it is healthy.

There are also signs that grass has been overwatered. If you see an increase in mushroom growth, this could be a sign that you should cut back on watering. Mushrooms and other fungi thrive in excessive moisture. Oversaturation can also look the same as dehydration as grass can be weighed down and not stand up as it is walked on.

The recommended time to water your lawn is early morning and for about 25 to 30 minutes. During the morning, the weather tends to allow the water to penetrate the ground better than later in the afternoon where it could evaporate before it can get to the soil and roots of the grass.

2. Grass Length

Ideally, when mowing your lawn, you want to set your mower deck between 3 and 4 inches. If you cut your grass too short, this gives weeds the opportunity to grow. Keeping the grass cut throughout Summer can also deter pests like ticks from invading your lawn. Using a mower where you can easily adjust the height of the mower deck will help you all season long. Like our John Deere Z300 series zero turn mowers, the adjustment knob is right at your fingertips. You can easily change the height depending on your preference.

3. Pull up weeds throughout the summer

Making sure that weeds are pulled up throughout the summer will help the health of your yard. At the end of summer, if you leave any weeds in your lawn, they will leave seeds behind that can spread throughout Fall. So, be proactive and treat weeds by pulling them up or you can treat your lawn with a spray that will kill the weeds but leave the grass undamaged.

4. Upkeep on trees and shrubs

Trimming trees and shrubs is recommended to keep away unwanted pests. Ticks and other harmful insects like to stay in shaded, damp areas. Using tools like a STIHL pole pruner and hedge trimmer can help hard-to-reach branches and shrubs. This will allow your lawn to get more sun and you will not have to worry about as many bugs.

5. Fertilizing your yard

Fertilizer can help with your lawn health by adding in nutrients that the grass might be lacking. The fertilizer will help strengthen the grass from the roots, and in turn, it can absorb more water quickly. Be careful not to over-fertilize, as this could burn your grass. You only need to apply it to your lawn once between June and August.

We hope these healthy lawn tips bring you a beautiful yard this Summer. As always, if you are interested in any John Deere mower or STIHL equipment, you can visit your local SunSouth dealership. We’d love to help!
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