Caring for Your Lawn Year-Round

Summer

Summer is the period when grass is at its most stressed, which means that some operations, such as scarifying or aerating, should be avoided in periods of drought.

1. Feeding: If necessary, lawns can receive another dose of fertilizer during the summer, but only if rainfall is predicted. In extremely dry or hot weather fertilizer will scorch and stress the lawn. As an alternative to granular fertilizer, liquid feeds, such as kelp tonics can be applied.

2. Watering: To keep the lawn looking green during a dry summer, it may be necessary to water it either with an irrigation system or manually with a garden hose. However, lawns can recover quickly from drought, and to conserve water, try to avoid watering except in extreme conditions.

3. Mowing: Lawns will need mowing once or twice a week, although this should be stopped during extremely dry periods.

4. Weeding: Continue to remove pernicious weeds, such as dandelions, by digging them out of the ground, taking care to remove the whole root. Others, such as speedwell, clovers, and daisies, usually need spraying to remove them-this should be avoided during periods of drought

Fall

This is the key season for lawn renovations. Fall care will help to ensure that the lawn survives the low temperatures of winter. It will also help the lawn to recover from its heavy usage during spring and summer.