Summer is the time you want to be enjoying your lawn, not worrying about the aftereffects of problems that started in spring. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by preventing problems; but if your lawn is struggling, it’s important to step up and take care of the problem quickly so it doesn’t escalate even more. Here’s how to tell when your lawn care needs improving in Pottsville, PA.
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Dried Out Soil and Dry, Dead Grass
This is primarily a mowing problem more so than an under-watering problem. Lawns should be mowed relatively high so that there is not excessive evaporation. Cool season grasses should be mowed to 3-4inches in summer and warm season grasses to 2-2.5 inches. If you’re not sure what type of grass you have, you could compromise at a 3” mowing height.
If your grass is simply wilted due to summer heat and drought, it still stands a chance of recovering if you deep-water it. Once grass is dead (yellow/brown), it’s not going to come back and you’ll need to reseed or install sod.
Soggy and Rotten, or Dry and Dead Patches
Not all lawns are graded properly, which allows water to run off/evaporate from certain sections and pool in others. This can result in parts of your lawn being dehydrated while others are a swampy bog. Overwatering leads to disease and rot, and underwatering leads to root stress and turf death.
You’ll get the best results with a professionally installed irrigation system that will ensure the right amounts of water go to the right places. Ultimately you’ll save money, water, and effort by installing an irrigation system. You can set automatic timers so you never forget to water the lawn, and when you use systems with rain sensors you’ll never have to worry about overwatering. Grass benefits from deep watering (1 to 2 inches of water) two to three times a week early in the morning. This will promote deep root growth and will keep the soil moist enough to absorb more water (water runs off overly dry soil before the soil opens up enough to absorb the water).
Brown Lawn
Not keeping your mower blades sharp results in the grass being torn rather than cut, which can invite disease and gives your lawn an ugly brown tint at the tips.
If you have a dog, you may notice yellow (dead) patches of grass where the dog likes to pee. Again, once the grass is dead, it needs to be replaced. Pee stains be remedied by watering the area more or sprinkling baking soda on the grass to neutralize the urine and then watering.
A thick layer of thatch (dead grass) can accumulate at the base of the grass plants and make your lawn appear patchy and brown. Too much thatch acts like a roof that prevents air, nutrients and water from reaching the roots.
Burnt Lawn
More fertilizer isn’t necessarily better! Applying too much fertilizer, the wrong fertilizer for your soil pH, or failing to follow the manufacturer’s directions can lead to turf damage, including fertilizer burns.
Compacted Lawn
Aeration is an essential but often overlooked aspect of lawn care, even on lawns that see high foot traffic. A combination of aeration, high mowing and deep watering is needed to water to absorb into the soil especially as summer heat bakes the soil dry.
Weeds!
Weed control is a never-ending process but it’s made significantly harder by not being proactive about it with pre-emergent herbicides, and then not following up regularly with post-emergent weed killers. A lawn that is thick and healthy discourages weeds from taking hold but if your lawn is overrun, it’s a sign that not enough was done.
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