Getting Your Lawn in Shape for The Summer Season

June 13, 2024
Posted by Riley Brooks

Summer is almost upon us! It’s time to get the summer schedule started and the lawn maintenance kicked off to keep your grass looking good while the summer heat ramps up.

We all want to enjoy the sunshine and nice – even when it’s scorching – weather. But it’s important to spend some time on your lawn before and during the hot months so you can then enjoy the time outside without worrying. By showing some love to your lawn, you can help promote healthy grass growth, manage pests, and prepare the lawn for the hottest parts of summer.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind to get your warm season grass ready for the summer months.

1.) Mow Regularly and Correctly

Mowing regularly is a must while we head into the summer months. The spring showers give us a boom in grass growth giving us a gorgeous green lawn. However, too high of grass can be harmful for the health of your lawn. It can lead to weeds, pests, and a mess to clean up.

A good height for grass is roughly 2.5 to 3 inches, especially Bermuda and Zoysia grass which are the more common Georgia grasses. They don’t typically require tall blades of grass to stay healthy throughout the hot days. So, mowing them is an easy process to do. Plus, with a sharp mower blade – always recommended when starting a mowing season – the cutting maintenance goes smoothly with little worry towards tearing your grass up.

There is such a thing as cutting your grass too low though. So be careful you don’t scalp your lawn. It could stress the grass during those hot months, stopping any growth that would be occurring.

2.) Fertilize Appropriately

For the Georgia warm-season grasses like Bermuda and Zoysia, a high-nitrogen fertilizer is beneficial. It encourages root growth and thicker blades; both are vital things to help during the dry parts of the season. These lead to your grass looking greener because it is happy and healthy! If grass isn’t properly fertilized or taken care of, it can have stunted growth. Leaving lawns with a duller green and other complications.

There are countless fertilizers you can use to help grow your lawn. One of the popular ones out there are slow-release fertilizers. They provide consistent nutrients to the grass throughout the summer with little maintenance on your part. Your grass gets fed and looks nice and you don’t have to continuously fertilizer it, Win-win! One of the most common blends homeowners can find with a higher nitrogen level is Milorganite which is a 6-4-0.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and local guidelines for any of the fertilizers you use to avoid over-fertilization and when to lay down your fertilizer. Damaging your lawn is the last thing we want to have happen! Also, if you have pets, for their safety and yours, check the packaging to see if these slow-release styles are safe to use in your lawns.

3.) Water Efficiently

Dry spells can do a number to any kind of grass out there. Even though our summer grasses can survive with little rain, water is always a welcome thing for your lawn. If you want to keep your lawn looking good give it some water. Don’t water it every single day like your flowers or your garden. A lawn gives us a bit more forgiveness with the watering schedule. A once-a-week watering schedule is ideal for a thriving lawn. Whether that be from rain or from a sprinkler-system, the grass isn’t picky.

One of the better times to water is first thing in the morning. Watering before the sun heats everything up is fantastic. Roughly between 6am to 10am depending on your location. You’ll have more water absorbed by grass and soil before it evaporates away. There is less stress on the grass from the heat. And watering early can deter lawn diseases such as dollar spots and brown patches.

Droughts can and do pop up for Georgia as the summer drags on, so please check your water restrictions in your local area before you start watering the grass.

4.) Aerate the Soil

Aerating the lawn is an important step to a healthy lawn. It alleviates soil compaction and improves air, water, and nutrient penetration for the grass. With the famous, or maybe infamous, Georgia red clay, can be a difficult thing for most grass roots to get through and to survive in. This extra step helps keep your grass thriving for a stunning lawn.

Getting a head start of summer, you want to aim for aerating the warm-season grasses in the early summer months May and throughout June. This early summer is when the warm-season grass is in its height of growing. By aerating during that time, the growing grass can recover quicker and get more time soaking in the other steps you are taking towards making your lawn look great.

It might look a little odd for a week or so after you’ve aerated the soil with the little bits of dirt scattered amongst your grass, but it is worth the temporary odd appearance. Your grass will be thankful!

5.) Manage Pests and Weeds

The days are longer, and the nights are warmer, outside is where a lot of us like to spend our summer hours. The pests are a quick way to kill the fun while hanging outside though. If you regularly inspect your lawn for signs of pests such as grubs and chinch bugs, you won’t have to worry about heading back in early. There are appropriate treatments you can put into the lawn to help prevent the pests from making your lawn their home.

As for the weeds, by applying pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to your lawn will help prevent, kill, and control the weeds within your lawn. If you are looking for a low maintenance herbicide to put over your lawn, there are weed and feed style sprays for homeowners. Certain grasses respond better than others to the chemicals you will put down, so check out which ones will work for your lawn.

Be cautious with herbicide usage in the hot weather though. If it is an exceptionally hot day, it could damage the grass. But, if you’ve taken down the large groups with your sprays, hand-pulling some of the weeds is easy maintenance to do.

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These are just a few steps you can take to keep your healthy, vibrant lawn looking great going into and throughout the summer months in Georgia. And if you have any questions or want to talk with people who have experience with outside equipment and chemicals, Howard Brothers has you covered!