Sitting back and enjoying your lawn is a great pastime in the summer in Indianapolis, IN. Barbeques, relaxing by the pool or even just sitting under a tree with a cold glass of lemonade while admiring your lush green lawn. But to enjoy an attractive lawn in the summer, you need to know how to care for your yard at the beginning of summer.
There are several tips you should know about how to keep your yard looking great during the hot days of summer in Indianapolis. You can do damage by not mowing correctly, overwatering your lawn or watering it too little or even not paying attention to signs of pest damage. This can cause your lawn to lose its sheen or start to form dead patches. Here are some tips to keep your lawn in shape this summer.
1. Clean up
After fun summer activities, be sure everything is picked up to avoid damaging the grass or are an obstacle when mowing. Removing toys, lawn chairs, tools or water games can help to prevent this from happening.
2. Sharpen mower blades
Keeping your mower blade sharp is essential because of a dull blade tears at your grass. This will cause your grass to develop ragged brown edges which is an open invitation to diseases. A sharp mower blade lasts about ten hours of mowing so sharpen your blades regularly. Additionally, you can purchase a second blade, so you always have a sharp blade ready.
3. Mow
The critical thing to remember when mowing your grass in Indianapolis is to mow at the correct height. During the heat of summer, leave your lawn to grow higher by adjusting the height of your lawnmower. When your grass is taller, it will shade the soil which helps to cut down on evaporation, lets the roots grow deeper and keeps weed seeds from developing. Each type of grass has its ideal mowing height, but you should not remove more than one-third of a blade of grass at one time.
4. Use grass clippings
Grasscycling is when you let the grass clippings remain on the lawn after mowing. If you are mowing your grass at the correct height, then this shouldn’t be an issue. When clippings are removed, then the evaporation process is sped up as well as losing needed nutrients.
5. Water
To keep your lawn at it’s healthiest, you need to water your lawn infrequently but deeply. This helps the roots to grow deeper into the soil and prevents it from dying during a drought.
6. Take care of grubs
Grubs can become real pests and do damage to your lawn. June beetles, Japanese beetles, and European chafers will lay their eggs in your yard in the early to midsummer. In the mid-to-late summer, the eggs hatch into grubs, and the timing of the hatching depends on the species of the beetle and the region.
7. Pet waste
Urine from your pet can cause dead spots on your lawn. If you see the start of dead spots from where your pet has been urinating, you can flush the area with water, so the urine is diluted. One solution is to make an area out of mulch or pebbles and then train your pet to use this area for bathroom needs. Keeping dog waste picked up and disposed of properly is also essential.
8. Traffic
When you park a vehicle on the grass, it compacts the soil which causes other problems such as causing the grass to die. During hot weather or a drought, it’s smart to limit foot traffic to avoid grass damage.
Keeping your lawn healthy and lush isn’t tricky if you follow the above tips. For additional help with your lawn care, visit our Indianapolis lawn care page for more info!
Featured image source: Zillow
