With record high temperatures in much of the US and Canada, we thought we’d jump in and quickly offer some tips for hot weather lawn care. A heat wave doesn’t have to mean the death of your lawn or garden; with careful management and judicious watering practices you can ensure that your grass, landscaping, and garden plants all survive and thrive even when the mercury shoots upward and the sun is blaring down. Let’s dig in and learn some tips and tricks for hot weather lawn maintenance!
· Raise your cutting height before a heat wave in order to keep your grass healthy. A thicker lawn provides more of its own shade and insulation to keep soil temperatures from spiking. Less cutting also promotes deeper root growth, which in turn helps your grass access more moisture in the soil.
· Avoid cutting your grass or trimming landscaping during a heat wave! Cutting, mowing, trimming, and pruning all put additional stress on the plants involved, which can be detrimental to their health during periods of high temperatures. If you must mow or trim when it’s hot, do so later in the day when things have cooled off and your plants will be able to recover overnight. Follow trimming and cutting with a deep watering to provide some much-needed moisture.
· Water and irrigate effectively to keep grass healthy. Deep irrigation is the only real solution; by providing the soil under your grass with a deep and thorough soaking you’ll help supply water to your turf through hot periods. It sounds a bit counterintuitive, but if you can’t water effectively you should avoid watering at all. Light irrigation or watering encourages surface root growth, which can kill the grass as it doesn’t push deep enough to find the water below the top of the soil.
· Water early in the day for best results. Most grass and landscaping plants will benefit from watering early in the morning; between 5AM and 9AM is best. This gives both plants and soil ample time to soak up water before the sun hits while avoiding saturated soil that may promote disease. The important exception is what we mentioned above: cut and prune late in the day followed by a good soak as the sun is going down.
· Avoid using fertilizers or soil supplements during a heat wave! A sudden burst of nutrition—even from a “slow release” fertilizer—can trick your plants into a rapid growth period that is difficult to sustain during high temperatures. Save the fertilizers or soil amendments for cooler periods and use them judiciously. Summer generally isn’t the time to feed the grass.
We know it’s hot, so we hope you’re taking care of your plants, your pets, and yourselves. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay safe as we move through the summer!
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