Summer Lawn Care Tips

Handle Your Biggest Summer Lawn Care Problems

Summer days mean lots of sun, fun and hopefully a yard that will hold up to the weather as well as outdoor gatherings. If you are like most of us, you want to know how to have a nice lawn all year, and especially during the summer when you spend more time there. The following are some of my best tips for keeping your lawn healthy and looking great throughout the summer months.

Raise the mowing height a little bit. Taking the mowing height up a notch will do wonders for your lawn during the summer. First, it will make scalping less likely. You never want to cut more than one-third the height of your lawn in a single mowing. If you don't scalp your lawn, it will make weed encroachment more difficult. The greater amount of leaf blade showing will keep your yard appearing greener while the roots have a chance to grow deeper, which helps the lawn during times of drought.

Manage high traffic areas. Before mid-summer, you know where these are. If the grass is being worn down on the walkway off the patio or other high-traffic areas, you can do a couple of things. First, give these areas a little extra shot of fertilizer (this can be the extra 0.5 lb. of urea or just simply go over the area a second time with your regular fertilizer application). The grass blades are constantly being worn and are trying to regenerate, so a bit more nitrogen will help them recover. This is exactly what the landscape pros do in high traffic areas of sports stadiums. Next, consider topdressing the areas with crumb rubber from used tires. Your objective is to build up an inch layer (this equates to about 1.0 lb. / sq. ft.). The idea is to have a mat that will absorb the traffic (instead of the soil) but still be porous enough to allow the lawn to grow and water to move through it. The product can be found in 50 lb bags. Make sure you buy the size particles that range from 0.5-3.0 mm in diameter.

For summer broadleaf weed control, use products containing carfentrozone. Summer broadleaf weeds are tough to kill with the same herbicides that easily control these weeds during spring and fall. The later into summer, the more difficult the task. Weed control products containing carfentrozone will burn the top-growth of the broadleaf weeds like oxalis, purslane and speedwell with no adverse effect on grass. Similarly, if you have crabgrass, buy a product containing quinclorac. You will find it under the trade name Drive, and it is very effective on mature crabgrass plants throughout the growing season. In some states, you can now purchase quinclorac already mixed in with regular 3-way herbicides for broadleaf weeds (both Scotts and Bayer sell these products). This is an effective herbicide combination that will kill the vast majority of weeds in your lawn.

Green up the lawn for special occasions. One of the great tricks to green up a lawn in the summer is a light dose of urea. We are talking about 0.5 lb N/1000 sq. feet, or roughly 2.0 lbs of product (46-0-0). Urea is inexpensive and will provide a "green up" in 2-3 days, assuming it receives adequate water from rain or a sprinkler. This product can be used in between your regular fertilizer applications to help "revive" your lawn following heavy outdoor entertainment or sporting activities, a pest invasion or simply lots of rain. Bear in mind that there are a couple of downsides: you should not go above this recommended application rate, and understand that the product's effects will only last a short time (2-3 weeks). Applying too much urea can burn your lawn, negating all your good intentions.

Control beetle grubs now. Finally, if you live in areas where beetle grubs like European Chafer or Japanese Beetle could be invading your summer lawn, one of the best precautions you can take is to apply Imidacloprid (Merit or Grub-Ex) during the first three weeks of July. This will control the grubs just as they hatch and provide you control and peace of mind until next summer. This insecticide is also extremely kind to the majority of the beneficial insects in your lawn.

So this summer don't dread the wear on your lawn - embrace it with a positive attitude with these tips. You'll make your lawn and the neighbors green with envy.