Keep Your Lawn Green In The Summer Heat

It’s only June, but the heat and lack of rain are already taking a toll on many lawns. And the hot dog days of summer are barely here! There are some things you can do to help your lawn survive and even thrive in these long and hot Burlington summer days.

Don’t wait until your lawn is dead or dying this summer to call in the grass experts at Nutri-Lawn Burlington. Take some preventative action now!

Pick The Right Seed

Just like plants in your garden will thrive in different zones and weather conditions, grass seed is the same. Choosing the right seed for your lawn will go a long way towards preventing an unsightly brown crunchy mess on your front lawn.

Some grass repels insects due to endophyte levels such as ryegrass, bluegrass, and fescues. Zoysias, Fescues, and Buffalo grass are able to withstand extreme temperatures and heavy foot traffic. A mixture of fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass will help protect drought, insects and disease. Native varieties will be better adapted to Burlington growing conditions and require less maintenance.

In order to pick the right seed, you’ll have to decide what you need your grass to do, and what kinds of conditions it will need to thrive in. A young family with small children will want a hardier grass able to withstand impromptu soccer matches and swing sets. If you want your grass to stay green and thick all summer long, but it won’t get much foot traffic that will help you decide.

Dethatch

It’s best to dethatch in the fall, but thatch is where those little lawn pests we all love to hate thrive and breed. Getting rid of the shelter and breeding grounds will go a long way to getting rid of the pests that will decimate your lawn over the summer.

Aeration is an option to help dethatch, but there are specific dethatching techniques available if the problem is extensive.

Proper Lawn Care

Grass is fairly hardy and will often survive conscientious homeowners and neglectful ones, but if you want your lawn to stay lush and thrive, there are certain techniques you’ll need to employ.

Avoid over or under watering your lawn. Neither is helpful and both put stress on the grass. Allowing your lawn to go dormant or brown during the hottest part of summer does not mean you are neglectful, because the grass will green up again when the rain returns.
Only water early in the morning, and only give 1-2inches of water at a time. In very hot weather, you can water more frequently, but you won’t need to apply more water than that at a time.

Mowing your lawn short might mean you have to mow less often, but it also means your lawn will wither and go dormant a lot faster in a heat wave. Longer grass is better able to tolerate drought because the longer grass shades the soil keeping it cool and moist longer. Mowing grass puts stress on the plant, so mowing during a heat wave is stress upon stress.

Contact the lawn care experts at Nutri-Lawn Burlington today to give your lawn a must needed edge over weeds and hot weather this summer.