Summer Is Here, Is Your Lawn Ready?

In the summertime, we all want our yards to be beautiful. But, the summer season is also when lawns require the most maintenance. Plus, it can be hard to know how to take care of different types of grasses on your property.  So, how do you keep your yard up for summer?

Fertilize warm season grasses.

Warm-season turfgrasses thrive in summer heat. It is best to fertilize bermudagrass, buffalo grasses, and zoysia grasses in the heat of summer. If you have any variation of Fescue grass or bluegrass you should have fertilized in early spring.

Don’t water daily.

While it might seem like a good idea to water your yard some every day, it’s better to soak your lawn once or twice a week. Daily watering tends to overuse water, and it isn’t optimal for grass growth anyway.

Follow city watering restrictions.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to watering is to follow voluntary watering restrictions because they are designed to keep the grass in the city growing without wasting water. They can be found easily by doing a quick google search, or by going to your city website directly.

Sharpen your mower blades.

Dull mower blades harm the overall health of your grass. Mower blades that aren’t sharp tear grass, instead of cutting a clean edge, which creates ragged edges that are the perfect opening for disease organisms. Generally, a mower blade stays sharp for ten hours of mowing, so sharpen it after ten hours of use. If you’re experienced and handy, you can sharpen your blades with a metal file. Otherwise, we recommend calling a professional!

Adjust your mower height.

You want to keep your grass longer in the summer than you would during other seasons. Taller grass blades will shade soil from the sun so that less water evaporates from your lawn. Longer grass also means that your grass will have longer roots and that weed seeds will have a difficult time germinating.

Mow frequently.

Most lawn care experts recommend that homeowners mow their yard frequently enough that they never remove more than 1/3 of the stem. Depending on the amount of rain you get (or how much you water) this can mean mowing every 1-3 weeks.

At Watermaster, we are experts in lawn care, so call us today at (806) 797-9044 or contact us online.