Keeping our lawns lush and green during the summertime is what we want. But it takes some preparations and works from your end. Unless you do anything about it, your lawn gonna turn brown for sure. That keeps us asking how to keep lawn green in the summer heat, right?
Is really anything we can do about it? Luckily, there are some actionable steps you can take to keep the grass green during such a tough time. In this article, I will reveal some cool tips so that your lawn remains lush and green during the summertime.
Actionable Tips To Keep Lawn Green In Summer Heat
It takes a few extra works from your end to keep the lawn green during the summertime. I discussed a lot of them and you should follow all of them. Just following a few of these below-mentioned tips won’t prepare your lawn for the summer sun. You may find some of them old school, but they still work. Have a look!
- Right Type Of Grass
The climate varies depending on your location where you live. You will find grass for the cool and hot season. So, choosing the right grass type is crucial here. If the climate is always cool where you live, you should choose the cool-season grass and vice versa.
If you messed up and choose the cool-season grass but you live in a hot-season always, your lawn will always look brown. There is no room to make a mistake here because for the wrong grass no matter what you do, the result will always be disappointing.
- The Perfect Watering
When do you water your garden? It’s important to know the timing because watering time determines whether grasses will get enough water or not. The perfect watering time is early in the morning and let me explain why.
When you water in the morning the grasses absorb it and when the sun shines it will help the lawn to go through photosynthesis. That’s the exact timing to water your lawn and keep the grasses green during the summertime. However, during the dog days of extreme summer, you can water your lawn at night too.
Another important issue is you should be watering the lawn only NOT the path. I have seen a lot of lawns where the sprinkler is watering everything but the lawn! Don’t waste water, time, and money doing so. Buy an adjustable sprinkler that is just right for your lawn size and shape.
- Beware of Hot Watering
Your hose will contain some water in it each time you use it to water the lawn. Such trapped water becomes hot and they can scold the blades of the grasses. Instead of doing any good, such warm water will bring damage. So, always empty the hose each time you water the lawn.
To be extra safe, before you start watering the lawn, flush the warm water away first.
- Let The Lawn Breathe
If you don’t maintain the lawn properly, the grass won’t get the full benefit of water. Let me tell you something weird. Your lawn does need to breathe! So you must keep the lawn aerated to let the lawn gets enough oxygen and water. When you alleviate the compaction, the water and air can penetrate the soil deeper in the ground.
If you have a garden fork, you can do the job pretty easily. Just push the garden fork into the soil throughout the entire lawn at 15 cm intervals. An aerated lawn will have easier access to water and air that will keep the grass green in any season including the hot summer.
- Train Your Grass
One common misconception most landowners have is that they think watering their lawns more often during the summer will solve the problem. That is not true at all. In fact, you are doing harm doing so!
What you should do is to train your grass by watering less. That way you will be training your grass’s root dig deep and look for water deeper in the surface. Also, your grass will become more resilient against any harsh climate.
The right way to train the grass of your lawn is to water once in a week all over the year. Once you maintain the watering schedule strictly, the grasses will be trained up automatically.
Apply your common sense as well. You don’t need to water your lawn during the rainy season. So, if you have an automatic water system, turn it off when it rains. If there is a timer, keep that in your mind too!
- Higher Mowing
Is there any relationship between higher mowing and how to keep lawn green in the summer heat? Of course, there is!
We all know how to mow with a lawnmower but do we all know the right settings for it? Probably NOT! Set the lawnmower on a higher setting to leave the grass around 3 inches high. The root system of your lawn needs more shade and taller blades can ensure that. That’s very necessary to keep the grasses cool during the hot summer.
- Mowing Lawn The Right Way
There are a lot of don’ts when it comes to mowing your lawn. Before I go there, I must tell you to check your lawnmower first. Make sure the blades are sharp because blunt blades will tear the grasses and damage more.
In addition to sharpening the blades, regularly change the oil, filter, and spark plugs. Now that your lawnmower is right, let me give you another tip. Never mow the lawn under the sun during the summer.
- Apply Fertilizer Intelligently
We all know what fertilizers do to our lawns. They definitely keep your lawn lush and green. So, I recommend you apply fertilizer as well. However, how frequently you should do that?
That’s important because overfeeding the lawn may result in negative results. The most appropriate frequency is every 6 to 8 weeks. Choosing the right fertilizer is also another important factor to consider. Choose a fertilizer that has lower nitrogen content. That way your grasses won’t grow too high too fast.
- Deal with Pet Waste
We all have pets and some pets love to do their businesses on the lawn? The result? That is how your pet may overfeed the grass on a particular spot of the lawn. In a few days, you have a brown spot there!
When you see some spots on your lawn, don’t get scared. You will find a lot of lawn repair kit. Get one and repair such spots ASAP!
- Seeding Your Lawn
Sometimes reseeding the lawn with new grass helps a lot. That promotes new growth and helps to weed out the invasive weeds. As a result, you will get a greener lawn during the summer.
- Get Professional Help
Reviving a brown lawn is not rocket science but if you have a decent budget, hiring a landscaping contractor is highly recommended. From examining the soil to selecting the right type of grass, the contractor will do everything to make your lawn greener in the summer heat.
Summing Up
Keeping your lawn green in the summer heat is not a secret or difficult task. All you need is to follow the tips I mentioned above. All the tips are pretty straightforward to follow and everyone can easily follow them. All you need some patience and do the right thing at the right time.