Keeping a lush, green lawn in Atlanta during the hot summer months is not always easy. To keep the grass in your lawn growing, you need the right amount of sunshine, good quality soil, and moisture with good drainage. Here are some of our best summer lawn care tips and recommended equipment to get the job done for Atlanta homeowners.
Summer Lawn Care Tips
Control the Amount of Sunlight Your Lawn Gets
Let’s face it, there isn’t much you can do to control how much sun your lawn gets.
Grass needs a good amount of sunlight to grow. The good news is that Atlanta has more sunny days per year than the U.S. average. Does your lawn need more or less sunlight to help your grass grow?
Tip #1: Plant a tree
If your lawn is getting too much sun, you might want to consider planting a shade tree (or two) in your yard.
Your summer lawn in Atlanta needs plenty of nutrients to grow. Keeping the soil in good condition and feeding your lawn during the summer months and keep your lawn happy and healthy.
Tip #3: Aerate your lawn for good air flow
Give your grass plenty of oxygen and room to grow by aerating your lawn. To learn more about aerating your lawn read our blog post, How To Aerate Your Lawn.
Warm weather grass seed and sod planting can be successfully done in the summer months. The trick to planting successfully is moisture control. If your soil is too dry, your grass seed will not germinate. If your soil is too wet, diseases will take over your lawn.
If your soil is too moist, consider adding a drainage system to your yard. On the other hand, If your yard is too dry, late summer lawn care would benefit from installing a sprinkler system.
It is a common mistake made by the novice landscaper to apply harsh fertilizers in the summer months. The result of this mistake is a brown, burnt lawn. There are fertilizers that are made to use specifically in the summer, make sure that you select the correct type and strength fertilizer for your lawn.
Grass clippings will always be a part of lawn care. Clippings can help shade your soil in the summer and keep it moist. Too many grass clippings left on your lawn will create a thatch layer that will choke out your lawn.
The more aggressively grass is growing, the faster it will develop a thatch layer. Although a little thatch improves the wear tolerance of a lawn, excessive thatch harbors disease organisms and insects making the lawn more susceptible to damage from disease and drought.
Our lawn care tips for summer would not be complete without cutting your grass and keeping your yard clean.
In Atlanta, when you mow the lawn, grass responds to the reduced surface area on its blades–it must produce more growth to maximize photosynthesis processes. As a result, the grass concentrates its energy into blade and runner growth.
Tip #7: Mow your grass regularly
Regular mowing with a sharp mower is essential for reducing the need to collect clippings. It is important to mow often enough so that no more than one-third of the vertical grass height is removed with each cutting. Increasing your regular mowing height by 1/2 inch during the summer can improve the lawn’s ability to tolerate stress.
Longer grass clippings have a tendency to remain above the lawn where they appear unsightly and can shade or smother the grass beneath. These clippings need to be removed to avoid both unsightliness and lawn damage.
Edging your lawn will give it a clean, well-manicured look. This tool is a great way to make your lawn appear to have been styled by a professional landscaper.
Feeding Your Lawn Will Keep It Happy and Healthy
Cutting Grass Will Help Promote Growth