Spring has just set in which means that summer is also going to be here in no time. Summer is the best time to get away from all the coziness and enjoy the sunshine at its fullest, you go outside the house and play in your lawn, but do you recognize that your lawn needs some revamp and give your lawn a new look before start using it for BBQ parties with neighbors, birthday parties with kids, or just a me-time with a tea and evening snacks.
So, you should be now thinking about preparing your lawn for the summer and make it all the way more beautiful so that it may stay the right way with lush green grasses throughout the season.
Here are the 5 tips that you should stick to for a great summer-lawn-look.
1. Clean and Cut:
Start by cleaning and cutting, these are the most important and foremost things needed to prepare your lawn. Go outside in your lawn and see the mess winter has left behind; all twigs, branches and other debris need to be kicked out of your lawn. Don’t stress out, make the most of this spring so that your summer may withstand the drought, heat, or weeds.
After cleaning, the next big thing is cutting the grass. As spring is the season of rebirth, you would find the grasses and leaves growing at a much faster rate, so it’s better to see for the thatch and/or mat layer and cut it out. For that, you need to mow your lawn once in a week with sharp blades. Make sure the mower blades are sharp. Don’t cut it too bitterly or harshly, just cut the top of the grasses and voila! It’s ready.
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2. Aerate Your Lawn:
After cleaning and cutting, your lawn cannot survive without oxygen if it is not provided enough. So, aerating and scarifying are important too. Thatch removal is important as it may cause a barrier against water, air, and fertilizer that grasses require. You can use a fork or a spike roller to dig deep in the soil, otherwise scarifying is the most appropriate mechanical method.
Scarifying has to be done once a year and spring is the best season for that as the leaves grow back quickly. This is needed for a healthy root system. But if your lawn has cool-season grass like bluegrass or ryegrass, then you should do scarifying in Autumn. Also, if you live in a high-traffic zone, the rate if scarifying might be increased.
3. Fertilize Your Lawn:
Your lawn needs some food, not that you eat (wink) but it’s called fertilizers. For a living, providing freshness to people, and to grow, plants need fertilizers which are their feed rich in nutrients. The warm-season grass needs nitrogen fertilizer at the start of spring then it can again fertilize in the late summer.
While the cool-season grass is like fragile pieces need extra care, so for that, you need to provide them fertilizer more often, like both in early spring and again in early fall. Make sure you have a high concentration of nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the fall application. The use of fertilizer should be reduced 30 days before the summer fully comes in.
4. Mowing Your Grass:
If you want to make people jealous of your lawn, you need to take care of its proper mowing. Although lawn mowing takes much time but a good lawn mower can simply solve your problem.This is necessary for the growth and health of your lawn. Make a checklist of the following things:
· Always cut the one-third top portion of the grass otherwise the damage would be obvious.
· Mowing in spring makes the roots and grass stronger and healthier.
· Don’t mow excessively as the longer grass helps in keeping the soil moist in summer. Raise the height of your lawnmower.
· Concerning the grass type, reseed bare patches. Fall is the right time to do that. And when the seeds finally have germinated, start using nitrogen fertilizer for better growth.
· Generally, mow your lawn 2-3 times per week for a clean and tidy look. If there is excessive rain, the rate of mowing might vary.
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5. Watering:
You need to keep an eye on your automatic watering system, if you have any, as during rain you wouldn’t want to spoil your lawn with excessive watering. It’s better to stop the watering timer and let the rain do the watering, and if there isn’t enough saturation, you can do manually when required. Other than the rainy season, you can do watering once or twice a week. Don’t let the water stands up on the lawn as over-watering may cause diseases.
Your prior concern is to maintain the health of the roots because if these are okay, the entire grass plants will flourish strongly and can withstand summer heat and drought. It’s better to do watering early morning or at night so that the grass has enough time to absorb water.So, take care of your lawn and make it ready for summer. Happy gardening!
