There’s no denying the fact that it’s hot across the Front Range. We’ve officially reached 90-degree temperatures and your landscape might need some extra help this summer in order to keep it healthy. To help ensure that your landscape looks its best, we wanted to share a list of summer landscape tips to help protect your landscape from the scorching summer sun.
Soil Conditioner
With the high temperatures we are seeing, many lawns will became drought stressed – making them more susceptible to lawn diseases. Soil conditioner will not only help combat drought stressed lawns by increasing water absorption, it can also help lawns that are thin, weak or brown recover.
Keep in mind, when using a soil conditioner, you’ll still need to maintain proper watering along with consistent fertilization and weed control for best results. Contact Swingle today to schedule a soil conditioner application.
Proper Watering
Note: Make sure to check the local water restrictions in your area.
Proper watering is the single most important way to keep your lawn green, weed-free and healthy during the heat of the summer. Start by watering between 6-10AM when the evaporation is low and winds are at a minimum.
Most lawns need 3/4” to 1” or 15 – 30 minutes of water 3 to 4 days per week but when temperatures reach above 90 degrees, water everyday for at least 30 minutes per zone.
If your grass begins to turn a grayish-blue color, or if the mower is leaving lines, the grass is showing signs of drought stress and you must increase the amount of water. Shaded or protected areas may need less water than other zones.
Have a sprinkler system? Keep an eye out for broken or misaligned sprinkler heads and drip emitters and check your irrigation system to ensure complete coverage.
Mowing
You should mow your lawn every 5-6 days throughout the summer, making sure to adjust your mower height. Setting your mower blade to a height of 2 ½ to 3 inches helps keep your grass higher – insulating your lawn from the sun, while reducing beneficial moisture from evaporating.
No more than 1/3 of the leaf blade should be removed at any one time – cutting more removes the greenest part of the blade, resulting in a dull appearance. Dull mower blades rip and tear the end of the grass blades, leaving the plant more susceptible to rapid water loss and disease.
Landscape Care Consultant, Tony Hahn, talked with 9NEWS (KUSA) about the dry lawns across the Front Range.
Whether you like it or not, the summer heat is on and it’s important to keep these summer landscape tips in mind to ensure your landscape is healthy and looking its best. If you are still not sure what is going on with your landscape this summer, schedule a free property evaluation from the landscape experts at Swingle.
