In the U.S.A, people love their lawns. Lawn care is an $8.5 billion dollar industry. Americans spend an average of 40 hours per year caring for their lawns on average. As the summer gets underway, you may see your cool season grass turn brown in the heat. This browning is perfectly normal and natural. The fescues and bluegrass varieties that grow lush and green in a more northern climate naturally go dormant in the southern heat. Think of this as a state of hibernating to preserve energy for when cooler temperatures and rains return. Once the cool nights return, your cool season grass lawn will once again be lush and green.
Lawn maintenance is one of our key services. If you’d like to enjoy a lush lawn all summer long, at Davis-Kee Outdoor, we can help. We can do everything from regularly scheduled mowing and maintenance to installing irrigation systems. If you prefer to do it yourself, here are some tips:
Mow High
Put your lawn mower on a high setting, to leave the grass around 3 inches high. Taller blades provide more shade for your lawn’s root system, which keeps it cooler during hot summer days. Additionally, taller blades of grass result in deeper, stronger roots.
Water Regularly & Deeply
If you want a green lawn all summer long, you must water consistently.. Rather than shallow watering every day, water your lawn deeply once or twice a week. One to one-and-a-half inches of water a week will keep your lawn green. Most home irrigation systems can be pre-programmed to take care of the watering for you.
Water Early
Five o’clock in the morning is the perfect time for watering your lawn. Program your irrigation systems to water early in the morning, so your lawn will have enough time to dry out during the day, thereby preventing fungal diseases.
Maintain Your Mower
A poorly maintained mower will only harm your turf. Good mower maintenance includes sharpening the blades and changing the oil, filter and spark plugs. Dull mower blades will tear not cut your lawn, leaving brown tips on the grass blades. These are services landscaping contractors may be able to provide.
Repair Pet Waste Spots
When Rex does his business on your lawn, he is effectively over-fertilizing that spot. After removing the pet waste, use a spot repair product that contains seed, mulch, and fertilizer all in one bag for best results.
Use Fertilizers
The general rule of thumb landscaping contractors recommend is to fertilize your lawn every six weeks, excluding the hottest weeks of the year. However, you may find that this causes your lawn to grow too quickly, when using traditional fertilizers. A lower nitrogen content fertilizer between 10 and 14 will keep your lawn green while eliminating the fast growth. Using a mulching mower also helps to naturally fertilize the lawn by recycling the nutrients in the grass clippings back into the soil. Be sure you apply the fertilizer evenly and judiciously. Too much fertilizer can turn the turf brown.
Bringing back a brown lawn is one of the most commonly requested services landscaping contractors receive. Unfortunately, if your lawn already looks like coconut matting, there’s not much that can be done to bring the green back before fall. Once a lawn has gone brown, over watering will only stress out the turf. To prevent this frustrating situation, follow the suggested lawn tips listed above.
