While you may be working on a killer summer tan, so, unfortunately, is your quickly-browning lawn. And despite your grass losing its luscious green hue, those pesky weeds don’t seem to mind as they make their home in your yard.
While it’s easy to neglect your yard in the summer, there are a few steps you can take to keep your outdoor spaces looking clean and green. Here are some tips for a healthy, vibrant lawn year-round.
Apply Weed and Feed
It can be quite the challenge to exterminate weeds from your yard, and even harder to keep them from coming back. “Weed and Feed” is a generic name given to a wide variety of concoctions that strengthen lawns while killing weeds. The “Weed” is a reference to herbicides (weed killers) that will destroy common pests like dandelions, foxtails, and mayweed. The “Feed” is the fertilizer that will keep your grass healthy, encouraging water and nutrient absorption.
When applying Weed and Feed, choose a cooler day between June and August. If you applied fertilizer in the spring, wait at least two or three months before fertilizing again. However, don’t apply fertilizer when temperatures are over 85 degrees and try to avoid using it on a windy or rainy day, to avoid dilution or distribution to unintended areas.
Mowing
Besides giving your landscape a more tidy appearance, regularly trimming the grass helps to control weeds and can stimulate the growth of grass for a thicker, healthier lawn.
You need to make sure you aren’t cutting your grass too short. Be sure to set your mower to a high position before you mow in the summer. You will want your grass to be around three inches tall. The extra length allows the grass to grow deep roots, which will help during months of increased heat. You can expect to mow your lawn at least once a week during the summer months.
Water Often
Your lawn needs about one inch of water a week to thrive during moderate temperatures. Salem’s higher-than-average rainfall means that for most weeks during the summer (depending on the temperament of the weather), you should be able to get by with just supplemental watering. If the weather stays hot, you will need to water consistently to keep your lawn green. To prevent evaporation and reduce water use, it is a good idea to do your watering overnight or in the early morning. This will allow the roots of the grass to soak up the water before it dissipates.
Grass is pretty resilient, but you need to make sure you are diligent. To conserve water and reduce the time necessary for lawn care, you may want to install sprinklers or in-ground irrigation.