If spring is all about getting your lawn lush and healthy, summer is about keeping it that way as temperatures soar and rain becomes a distant memory. Plus, with all the time you’ve been spending outside, I bet your lawn is starting to show signs of wear in high-traffic areas.

Summer Lawn Care Tips

Summer lawn care doesn’t have to be a big chore. While you might not have much luck growing new grass in the middle of the summer, but you can take some simple steps to care for the lawn that you have. Here are some tips for keeping your lawn looking it’s best through the summer months without relying on harmful chemicals or abundant watering.

Smart grass selection

The first step in summer lawn care is choosing the right grass for your lawn. If you’re replacing or reseeding your lawn, first do a little research to make sure the grass you plant will do well in your yard. Consider your area’s natural average rainfall and the amount of sunlight your yard receives. You’ll also want to choose a type of grass that will thrive in your soil.

Wise watering

No matter where you are or how much rain you’re receiving, it’s always wise to water as little as possible. The amount of water lawns need varies by the type of grass you have and how hot it is. To keep track of how much water your lawn has been receiving, keep a rain gauge out to measure water received from rainfalls.

If your lawn needs to be water, water deeply and less frequently to encourage drought-tolerant roots. Early and late in the day are ideal times to water because you’ll lose less to evaporation.

Also, consider adding a rain barrel to your yard. Rain barrels capture roof rainwater that can be used for watering lawns and flowers.

Proper mowing

It seems people either love or hate mowing the lawn. No matter how you feel about it, when you mow, you should be doing it in the way that is healthiest for your grass. Raise your mower blades to keep your grass drought-tolerant. Longer grass also develops deeper roots and provides shade to prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Instead of bagging your lawn clippings, leaving them on the lawn to keep moisture levels steady.

Keep your blades sharp so that they cut the grass instead of tearing it, and mow regularly to prevent cutting more than a 1/3 of the grass at one time.

Protect high-traffic areas

If you’re starting to develop paths in your lawn in high-traffic areas, consider installing stepping stones or a sidewalk to reduce damage to your grass.

Control those weeds!

Summer is the time that weeds love to start blooming. Keep them under control and do you future-self a favor by removing them before they have a chance to disperse next year’s seeds. As tempting as it is to use chemicals on weeds, in the hotter months, chemicals can be damaging to already stressed lawns, and it’s better to pull any weeds that pop up.

With organic lawn care, your grass will be signing your praises.

What would your grass say if it could talk? If you’re like most homeowners, your grass would be begging you to lay off the chemical fertilizers and pesticides and start taking care of it a little more naturally. Organic lawn care is gaining popularity, and it’s easy to see why.

A lot of homeowners assume that if they give up their standard lawn care products, they’re going to have to spend at lot more time working in their yard and still won’t be able to get the results they want.

That simply isn’t true. With natural, organic lawn care, homeowners can grow a lawn that doesn’t rely on chemicals and is much more sustainable in the long run.

Why bother?

With the amount of time your children and pets spend playing outside in your lawn, you want it to be a safe place for them. Chemical based fertilizers and pesticides might show quicker results, but with the harm they can cause to people, pets and the environment, many homeowners are moving to natural lawn care. By going organic with your lawn care, you can create a healthy, lush lawn that is more sustainable over the long term.

Make your lawn sing your praises using organic lawn care

1. Do a soil test
   A quick soil test will tell you what nutrients your soil is missing and which organic microorganisms you should add.
2. Start composting
   Spreading a thin layer of compost over your lawn will have a huge impact on the quality of your soil and the health of your grass. Use either store bought compost or compost you’ve developed from kitchen and yard scraps. If you add a layer of compost to your lawn every year, your grass will be singing your praises from now until fall – promise!
3. Look for a better grass
   All grasses are not created. If you’re replacing your lawn or interested in overseeding, choose a native or organic grass seed that will thrive in your area. Chat with your local extension office or with the staff at your local garden store to see what they would recommend for your area and soil conditions.
4. Managing weeds
   I hate to admit it, but switching to organic lawn care might cause an increase in weeds the first year or two until your grass gets strong enough to fight them off itself. In the mean time, try spreading corn gluten meal over your lawn in the spring for organic weed prevention, or if you just have a few isolated weeds popping up, get rid of them quickly by pulling them by hand.
5. Care and maintenance
   When it comes to mowing, know what length your type of grass prefers and resist the temptation to cut it shorter. If it’s too short, it won’t be able to develop the strong, healthy roots needed to fight off weeds and disease. When it comes to water, water infrequently and deeply to encourage root development.