A perfect lawn under the summer sun: lawn maintenance tips for the summertime
Establishing and maintaining a green, lush lawn is not always an easy task, especially during the intense heat of summer. The scarcity of rainfall, an increase in outdoor activities held on the lawn and general, elevated "use" of the garden during summertime can cause the grass to get trampled, dry out and turn yellow.
Fortunately, there are some measures that you can adopt to ensure that your lawn remains green and lush, even during the summer - read on to find out more:
1. Frequent mowing at a higher height and mulching
During the summer, it is advisable to mow your lawn more fequently, with once every 5 days being the recommended average. Doing so allows you to gather shorter cuttings that you can then use as mulch to slow down moisture evaporation. The easiest way to do this is to simply leave the cuttings laying on the surface as you do the mowing (ie. don't rake them up after mowing).
The grass should also be cut higher - around 8 centimeters or so is recommended - in order to speed up the dissipation of heat through the grass blades and protect the underside of the lawn.
2. Water early in the morning
Oregon State University/Flickr
The ideal time to water your lawn in summer is in the morning, just before sunrise. Watering your lawn thoroughly at this time of day will help protect it from the heat during the later daytime hours, reducing evaporation rates and ensuring that the soil remains moist for longer. Watering in the morning will also protect your lawn from the possible development of fungal diseases (and the reason why watering your lawn in the evening is not recommended).
One or two watering sessions a week will be sufficient, which you can do once you're sure no rainfall is forecast. Use the so-called "indication zones" to assess your lawn's need for water: areas where the soil is sandier or drains away quicker will show signs of wilting and changes in color of the grass before the other areas and need to be watered asap.
Routine, thorough watering in the early hours of the day (as described above) will also help you significantly reduce your consumption of water.
3. Lawn maintenance and treatments
Finally, there are 4 different treatments that you can use to maintain your lawn during the summer and help it to bettr resist the heat:
- Potassium-rich fertilizer: distribute this fertilizer over the lawn 4-5 weeks before temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees C. Potassium increases the ability of the grass to resist excessive heat and trampling, while also reducing its need for water;
- Brown algae treatment: using brown algae poducts on your lawn can help it deal with thermal stress. Dilute in water and include in your early morning watering sessions, once every 2 weeks;
- Protective photo-reflecting pigments: these products protect the grass from damage caused by UV rays and should be applied to dry grass, preferably early in the morning and suspending watering of the lawn for 24 hours thereafter;
- Silicon oxides: these products are useful for strengthening the base structure of the lawn, especially at the grass blades level. These oxides must be applied before the intense heat arrivees, repeating the treatment every 4 weeks (and only if the intense heat persists).
What other advice do you follow to keep your lawn in tip-top condition during the summer?
