Now’s the time to Revive® your lawn

  There is no doubt summer can be tough on your lawn. Your once green grass is dying off and no matter how much you water, the brown patches just seem to grow. Based on the turf samples we see daily at our Diagnostic Center, this is a common problem for many lawns in the area. 

Some summer lawn problems come about due to poor mowing and watering practices. At this point in the season, your mower should be raised to its highest setting and you should be mowing twice a week. Mowing higher and more frequently will reduce moisture loss and minimize heat damage. Watering correctly is important too. Watering your grass every day encourages shallow root systems. When the weather turns hot and dry, these short, shallow roots can’t deliver enough water and your grass begins to dry up and die. A better approach would be to water deeper and less frequently. This will encourage grass roots to grow longer, reducing the heat stress effects on your lawn. In addition to applying good watering and mowing methods, it’s important to improve the soil your lawn is growing in.  

The keys to building better soil in existing lawns include: spring and fall aeration, regular applications of organic material and using granular Revive® three times a year. Revive® is a local product designed to improve soil structure which in turn, encourages strong root development and optimal water and nutrient uptake. By using Revive® the water you put on your lawn moves down to the roots more effectively and there’s less loss due to evaporation and run off. 

Revive® is also available in liquid form, which is handy to use to correct soil compaction, restore grass damaged by pet urine, as well as grass burn caused by rabbits.  In conjunction with Revive® we recommend you include humate in your lawn maintenance schedule. Humate is a highly concentrated soil conditioner derived from the remains of decomposed organic plant materials.  Feeding your lawn humate will make your soil healthier, increase microbial activity and enhance nutrient uptake. 

Humate is available in granular form in Natural Guard HuMic. You apply it using a fertilizer spreader.  Both Revive and HuMic are chelating agents.  Chelating agents increase nutrient availability to plants. This means more of the fertilizer you put on your lawn goes to feed the grass. Just like any other plant in your garden or landscape, your grass is only as good as the soil it is growing in. Regular applications of Revive® and HuMic combined with sound mowing and watering practices will help ensure a healthy lawn through the rest of the season.