Summer is the season when your lawn should be at its best – thick, lush, healthy, and beautifully green. But as homeowners know well, grass doesn’t thrive on its own. It takes work – the right kind of care at the right time. Here is a list of the most important things you can do between visits from your lawn care company to keep your yard in peak condition this summer.
1. Get your lawnmower tuned up. You probably did this earlier in the spring, but you may have decided to put it off because of the long wait times as everyone tries to get their mowers serviced at the same time. (Of course, if you do it yourself, you don’t have this problem.) Now that the growing season is in full swing, it’s even more important to ensure that your mower is ready for its most demanding time of year.
Once your spark plug, air filter, and oil have been replaced and your blade has been freshly sharpened, your mower will deliver peak performance. For even better results, keep track of your mowing time. Many people get only a single tune-up per year, but some manufacturers recommend one after every 25 hours of use.
2. If you don’t already have it, consider automatic irrigation. In general, lawns need about one inch of water per week. Sometimes you’re fortunate enough to get it from rain, but often your grass will need a little extra. Some people prefer to be more hands-on, calculating rainfall and communing with nature early in the morning, but others welcome the opportunity to devote that time to other tasks.
That’s where automatic irrigation systems come in. They can certainly be expensive, and some people argue that they’re not worth the money. But there’s no question that you’ll save on water costs in the long run. Automatic irrigation allows you to maximize the efficiency of your watering regimen, delivering the right amount of water at the time that it’ll do the most good.
3. Combat common pests. If your area is plagued by mosquitoes, your family is already applying their repellent of choice. But that just cuts down on bites, not bugs. The best way to control mosquitoes is to prevent them from breeding nearby. Be sure to regularly drain and refill any sources of standing water in your yard, like pet bowls, birdbaths, and kiddie pools. If you have a persistent problem, consider expanding the scope of the inspections you perform around your property. Check areas that you normally don’t to see if any standing water is concealed.
Most ticks can be controlled with pesticides, but the threat of Lyme diseases may inspire you to go the extra mile. It’s caused by deer ticks, so one way to cut down on risk is plant things that deer don’t like to eat. (Of course, deer not eating your plants is a benefit all by itself.)
4. Fill in empty areas. If there are places in your yard where plants have failed to thrive, summer is a good time to address them. If a spot gets a lot of sun, add some plants that tolerate dry, hot conditions well. Many of these low-maintenance plants are also beautiful.
Similarly, if there are spaces in your yard that don’t get much sunlight, pick up some shade-tolerant plants as the summer goes by and plant them when temperatures begin to decline in later summer or early fall.
As summer progresses, you may have questions about your grass, outdoor activities, or another topic related to lawn care. An experienced lawn service company like Arbor-Nomics can answer them. In addition to weed control, we provide lawn fertilization, outdoor pest control, and much more. Our Certified Landscape Specialists are ready to help with all of your lawn service needs.