Summer is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start maintaining your yard this summer and prepare your yard for what’s to come – the extreme summer heat. Every gardener and homeowner knows the struggles of keeping their grass green all summer and maintaining a healthy, beautiful lawn.
Lucky for you, this short but comprehensive guide consists of almost everything you need to know to ready your lawn for the upcoming season.
Maintaining Your Yard In Summer: Find the Best Time to Water Your Plants
Your lawn requires two essential things – water and sunshine. You can never really control when the sun goes up or down and depending on how many trees you have, and your grass may rarely see the sun. However, when it comes to watering your plants, it is best to have a specific schedule.
The best time to water your lawn is in the morning. At this time, the soil tends to absorb water more quickly and effectively. The reason watering plants at night can be harmful is that it is easier for mildew to appear since it will be in a very dark, cooler environment throughout the night.
Too much water can actually drown your grass and other plants, causing your lawn to die and turn brown. You can read this article to determine if you overwater your plants or lawn.
This can be especially dangerous in the springtime when there is so much rain. Be careful to monitor how much water your plants are getting before watering them. Better yet install an ETwater smart controller and let the experts calculate your water schedule for you.
Plants and grass are very resilient. The grass may turn brown during times of drought or severe lack of being water; however, if it’s watered properly, it will return to its once luscious green color whenever there is adequate moisture.
Invest in a Drip Irrigation System
Watering your plants less often while making sure it’s getting to the root is a good practice. A beneficial tool to invest in is a drip irrigation system, if you’re concerned about the well-being of your plants but may not always be around to monitor what goes on with them.
As compared to the typical sprinkler spray heads, a drip irrigation system does not waste water, and it distributes water evenly. Also, with the use of an effective drip irrigation system, you can effectively water your plants because water goes directly to the root, allowing it to be absorbed by the plant, rather than being wasted which some water is when you sprinkle around the general area of the plant.
Don’t Forget to Feed Your Lawn
Just like humans need to eat food, your lawn needs to be provided with the proper nutrients to help it grow. Invest in a high-quality organic fertilizer or compost to enrich your soil and help ensure your plants with the nutrients they need. Here is an excellent article on worm castings as an alternative for synthetic fertilizer.
Keep Your Mower Blades Sharp and Clean
Although it may not be the first thing you think about when you’re getting ready to mow your lawn, blades should be kept sharp and clean so they can cut nicely and smoothly without leaving jagged edges on the grass. Also, do not be tempted to mow your lawn too short so that you can lessen the frequency of mowing. Always mow at the right height, without taking more than one-third of the height off of your grass. Although this means you will probably have to mow more this summer, cutting too much can damage your lawn.
Give Your Lawn Air to Breathe
If your lawn needs water and sunshine, it also needs air to breathe. Lawn aeration pertains to the perforation of the soil at intervals to alleviate compaction. This will also allow water and other nutrients to penetrate the soil below. Lucky for you, aeration is as easy as pushing a garden fork into the ground. Try to be sure to have it measured at a 15-centimeter interval.
Caring for your lawn during the summer season entails determination and patience. With this guide, you’ll be one step closer to achieving a more healthy lawn by summer.