Tips For a Great Summer Lawn

Summer is finally here, Ottawa! Time to get outside and enjoy all that your lawn has to offer.

That said, there are a few different ways your lawn can become stressed, or struggle with the threat of pests and disease in the hot summer months. To combat this, our experts at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa gathered a few of their favourite tips for getting your lawn looking its best this season. Check them out below!

Good Day Sunshine

Most grass varieties love the sun, that's for sure. The more sun the better. If your lawn is struggling, examine how much sun it’s receiving. Are you able to prune back the lower branches of a tree or a lower a hedge to give the lawn more direct sun? A sun-loving grass variety growing in the shade will struggle. If you can’t get more sun on that spot of lawn, consider overseeding with a shade-loving variety of grass or consider turning that portion of the lawn into a shade garden with attractive plants and ground cover.

Mow Well

This is the time of year where grass grows quite a lot in a short amount of time. Resist the urge to mow your lawn very short to increase the time between mowing. Mowing your lawn too short means the plant can’t produce enough nutrients to thrive. A stressed grass plant is vulnerable to heat and drought, pests and disease.

The Importance Of Oxygen

Did you know grass can drown? Yep. Too much water, persistently, and the roots of a plant will drown. Aeration helps break up compacted soil and promotes good drainage so that roots can breathe. Aeration also helps with thatch problems so that the sun can get to the soil and encourage healthy grass growth. The more your lawn can spread and thicken the better, because this is the best defense against pests and disease.

Leaf Spot

Leaf Spot thrives in the humid weather that is common in Ottawa in spring and summer. Small purple spots will appear on your grass, which will then spread to the whole plant and kill it. One common cause is fertilizer applied improperly (not sufficiently watered down). Improper mowing also leaves lawns vulnerable to this disease.

Monitor Ring Patch

Ring patch is very difficult to eradicate, so the best cure is to prevent it from forming in the first place. Ring patch leaves light green rings or a crescent pattern on your lawn. The outside of the rings may go brown and die, causing unsightly damage. Eventually the discoloured portions will die also. If your lawn has this problem, call our experts for professional advice.

Rust Is a Problem

Rust is a minor problem in Ontario, but it can spread from lawn to lawn with a good wind. You might not even realize your lawn has this problem until you walk across your lawn and notice a rust colour on your shoes. Leave your lawn a little longer and use proper mowing techniques. Fertilizer can eradicate this problem and also make it worse if applied incorrectly. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer and if you’re not sure what kind of fertilizer to use, call our experts.

Give your grass the love it needs this summer! Contact us today and request a free quote here.