Summer is an extremely stressful time for your lawn. Even if your grass looked great in the spring, it may have started to decline now that hot weather is here. You may notice brown patches showing up. Your lawn may look weaker and lack the dark green color you’re used to seeing and no amount of water seems to improve the situation. Just like every other plant, tree and shrub in your landscape, your lawn will only do as well as the soil it’s growing in.
If the soil wasn’t amended properly when your lawn was first planted, summer’s heat can bring on a myriad of problems, including brown patches, thin spots and turf die back. You know you have a problem when your grass looks bad no matter how much water you give it. Short of tearing your lawn out and starting over, there are steps you can take now to improve your soil and keep your lawn looking good through the summer season.
Step one: core aerate. Core aeration is a mechanical process that extracts plugs of soil, thatch and grass from your lawn. This will reduce compaction, allowing water, nutrients and oxygen improved access to your lawn’s root system, where it’s needed. Core aeration can be accomplished with a machine or a hand-held device.
Step two, add humate to your soil by applying organic HuMic. Humate is basically super compost which improves soil structure, encourages root growth and helps your grass take up nutrients more efficiently. HuMic comes in granular form and is easy to apply, using your fertilizer spreader.
Step three, treat your lawn with Revive®. Revive® acts as a wetting agent. Revive® helps water soak into the ground, down to the root zone, resulting in less evaporation and run off. Revive® also helps grass take up nutrients. Revive® is available in granular and liquid form. Both are effective, though Revive® granular has the added benefit of a small amount of Nitrogen.
Step four, top dress with organic material. Top dressing is the process of applying thin layers of compost, worm castings or peat moss to your existing turf.
Top dressing at regular intervals will help reduce the clay content in your turf grass soil and increase microbial population and activity. Microbes work to improve the relationship between turf grass roots, soil and nutrients.
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As a result, turf grass develops more vigor and stress tolerance, especially heat. A nice, thick lawn requires a healthy soil base.
Step 5: set your mower to cut at the highest level. Mowing higher and more frequently helps keep the grass crowns cooler and you’ll use less water to keep it healthy.
Step 6: When it comes to watering your lawn, it’s best to water late evening or early in the morning, before 6 am, when there is less evaporation. The goal is to run your water system for longer periods of time and do it less frequently. For cool weather grasses such as blue grass, fescue and rye, watering deeper and less often will stimulate long root growth. Long, strong root systems use less water to maintain a healthy turf.
Consider watering when your lawn needs it, rather than on a set schedule. When the color of the lawn turns from green to light gray or when you walk on the lawn and the grass doesn’t spring right back up, your lawn needs water. If runoff is a problem, implement the cycle and soak method. This method of irrigation involves watering for brief intermittent periods rather than one long watering cycle, allowing water to soak into the soil between cycles. Watch the weather. Take advantage of natural moisture to irrigate the lawn.
Improving the soil on a continuous basis, combined with good mowing and watering practices, will help your lawn look its best through the hot summer months ahead.
