Summer Lawn Care Tips for Akron

landscaped lawn in front of a house in Akron with a blue sky with clouds

To keep your lawn looking great through summer here in Akron is pretty simple. Just follow a few simple summer lawn care tips, such as soil testing your lawn and fertilizing at the right time.

Let’s get started on your summer lawn care tasks in the Rubber Capital of the World:

How to Care for Your Akron Lawn in Summer

Test Your Soil

Holding soil for soil test — Photo Credit: Pixel-Shot / Adobe Stock Free / License

Conduct a soil test to know what type of grass you have and the conditions of the soil. Why this is important: There are different types of grass, and each type needs specific care. The type of grass you have will help you answer these questions:

How much water?
How often do you mow?
What additional nutrients does your grass need?

The best grass types for Akron are cool-season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue.

What’s your soil type? Soil can be sandy, loamy, silt, clay or a mixture of the four. They all have different pros and cons. A soil test can help you learn what type of soil you have and what it needs to give your grass an excellent environment to grow.

Fertilize Your Lawn

bags of lawn fertilizer and herbicide sitting on a lawn with a fertilizer spreader in the backyard — Photo Credit: JJ Gouin / Adobe Stock / License

When it comes to fertilizing your lawn, your soil test will tell you what is lacking — so you’ll know if you need to add extra nitrogen or more potassium. Then, you can find a fertilizer that fills the needs of both your grass and your soil.

In Akron, it’s best to fertilize in June, around 8 to 10 weeks after the date you’ve fertilized in spring, using a fertilizer with 50% in slow-release form.

Mow Your Lawn at the Appropriate Height

Your grass needs to be mowed regularly. However, your grass type will determine how often and short you need to mow. Follow these tips:

Mow your Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescue lawn at 2 to 2.5 inches.
Mow tall fescue at 2.5 to 3 inches.
Make sure your lawn mower has a sharp blade, so you don’t harm the grass by chopping at it without smoothly taking off the top.
Follow the one-third rule: Cut off only one-third of the height of the grass.

Water Your Grass

Spraying water on grass with water hose — Photo Credit: rh2010 / Adobe Stock Free / License

In the summer, you’ll need to water regularly. Most lawns need 1 inch of water each week, and if you aren’t getting enough rain, you’ll need to water the lawn yourself. You can set up a watering schedule with your irrigation controller or manually water, but be sure not to overwater or waste water with runoff or overspray.

Alternatively, you can let your cool-season grass go dormant and just water it to keep the roots and crowns alive. In that case, water lightly with 1/2 inch of water every three to four weeks. Water in the early morning so your lawn can absorb all the water before the sun dries it out.

Tip: Your trees will also need TLC during summer. Luckily, you can visit our tree care page for Akron to get in touch with pros who can do this for you.

Fight Against Weeds

Even if you applied pre-emergent herbicides in the spring, some pesky weeds can still find their way into your lawn during the summer. Crabgrass is a common culprit that can quickly take over if left unchecked.

For these persistent summer weeds, consider applying post-emergent herbicides to target them. You can also hand-pull them, but make sure to remove the entire root to prevent regrowth.

If you’re struggling against weeds or other summer lawn care chores, by hiring a lawn care pro in Akron.