Hello, my garden friends.
Let’s discuss summer lawn maintenance today.
As we all know, maintaining a healthy green lush lawn can be challenging here in the valley.
Our lawns start to become stressed from the first really hot days of summer.
When we think of lawn maintenance, the first things we think of are mowing, edging, fertilizing and watering.
If you have a gardener who mows your lawn; you might want to make sure he or she washes the bottom deck of the mower. This prevents a problematic chance of spreading weed seeds and other grasses to your lawn.
Secondly, make sure the gardener does not fill his mower with fuel while on your turf. Spilled fuel will definitely kill your lawn and contaminate the soil.
Thirdly, adjust the wheel height for a summer mowing. I prefer mowing at 1.5 to 2” in height. This will prevent your lawn from stressing out and help water retention in the soil.
I also like to mulch the grass clippings into the lawn and soil. Make sure your gardener has this device. Your lawn will benefit from the lawn clippings. The clippings will break down into the soil and become a much-needed humus. This will also help, water retention and not as much feeding.
When it comes to feeding, I like to only use organic products. Dr. Earth lawn fertilizer and Epsom salts are products that work for me.
Epsom salts are nothing but magnesium sulfate. This product will not only make your lawn green but also strengthen it.
Irrigation maintenance is also crucial. It’s necessary to have your gardener check your system weekly. It’s crucial to make sure your sprinklers and nozzles are applying water uniformly to the target area. Also, make sure your sprinklers are not obstructed or watering onto pavement.
In the future, I will discuss autumn lawn maintenance–to include mowing, dethatching, aeration and fertilization.
Happy gardening to all!
Do you have any questions or concerns about your lawn? Email them to me at mark koehler@yahoo.com.
