Introduction
Outdoor barbecues aren’t so fun anymore as extreme heat waves run through the continent. That means mowing your lawn and caring for it becomes even more difficult. If you need fresh topsoil for your lawn or garden, you can search for “topsoil near me” and buy some from a store nearby. Let’s check out how you can care for your lawn in hot weather.
The Details
- Mow higher – During the summer heat, make sure to move the mower height up a notch while cutting grass. This way the grass stays taller than usual and is able to provide a lot of shade for the ground and minimize loss of soil moisture. The grass is a living organism like most other plants and that means it requires a ton of energy to grow.
When you cut down parts of a plant, you cut down on that energy requirement drastically. This includes roots, leaves, limbs, and other parts. The same holds for grass blades. Since it uses less energy for growth in the extreme summer heat, it wouldn’t need a lot of water or other resources and will stay healthy.
Usually, the ideal height for summer turf is around 2.5 inches. However, it’s recommended that you cut it an inch higher. 3.5 inches of grass blades may not give your lawn the prettiest appearance. However, it will prevent the summer heat from killing it. Once the summer season is over, you can always mow it down to a desirable height.
Taller grass blades don’t just protect the ground from drying out, but also stimulate roots to dig deeper and grow stronger. When roots are strong and deep, they always have access to water and soil nutrients and your lawn can brave through the most horrible temperature soars.
Most lawn care professionals would tell you to be careful about cutting the grass too short. They recommend not to cut the grass by more than 1/3rd of the height. Fortunately, there’s no conflict with this tip of cutting the grass. When you need to maintain a grass height of 3.5 inches, you may not even hit that 1/3rd mark. Cutting grass too short in a small time frame can stress out your turf and keep greening to a minimum. Summertime is perfect to pamper your lawn and induce as less stress and work on the grass blades as possible.
- Sharpen blades – Whether it’s the mower, trimmer, or any other gardening and lawn care tools in your garage, make sure to get their blades sharpened as much as possible. Without sharpened blades, you won’t be able to leave a clean cut on your grass blades. When you move the dull blade of your mower across the blades, they get frayed, split, and may even be torn out off the ground.
It’s similar to how you split and batter veggies instead of cleanly cutting them when you use a dull knife. If the grass blades get weakened due to the stress-induced by dull blades, they’ll have a hard time resisting diseases and other tough conditions they may face.
- Mowing time – Mowing time can also increase the rate of survival for your lawn in extreme temperatures. Most people tend to mow their lawn when it’s cooler and the sun isn’t harsh. No one wants to sweat under the scorching ball of fire in the middle of the day while pushing a mower. It’s not just bad for you, but the grass blades as well.
Early morning and evening are the ideal times for mowing your lawn. That means if you can mow your lawn between 8 and 10 in the morning or 5 and 7 in the evening, it’s best for you and the grass. When you mow at these times, the turf remains strong and that means it can tolerate more mowing sessions and extreme temperatures. When you hack the blades while temperatures are soaring, the grass is stressed by two factors and becomes very weak.
- Mulch the clippings – When the temperatures are high during the summer months, you should consider mulching the grass clippings and letting them build up on your lawn. They add an additional layer of protection to the soil moisture levels. It’s best to streamline the entire process by equipping your mower with a mulching blade. These blades create finer grass clippings that fill up the voids between the grass blades and cover the soil.
Also, make sure that you don’t over-mulch your lawn. Otherwise, it will ruin the pristine look of your lawn and also create brown spots on the turf. Monitor the thatch buildup every week and if you find it tips over the limit of half an inch, then start bagging the clippings next time.
- Don’t overwater – With rising temperatures and hot air blowing about, it’s tempting to feed your turf as much water as possible. Turf grass is usually a water hog, and the extra water may offer some cooling benefits, right? While the summer season is the season of extreme heat waves, it’s also the season of thunderstorms and heavy downpours. You can use a home weather station to monitor how much rainfall your lawn gets.
If it gets a good soaking, you won’t need to turn on the sprinkler for a few days. Just keep an eye on your lawn and make sure it doesn’t get too crispy. It’s best to automate the process by installing a sprinkler system connected to a water gauge. If there’s excess moisture soaking the roots, the grass will turn weaker, and the nutritious soil mixed with compost and fertilizers may be eroded away more easily.
Conclusion
Turf cover requires a lot of care during extreme weather changes. Whether it’s excessive rain, extreme cold, or high heat. Follow the above-mentioned tips to care for your lawn when temperatures are soaring. On the other hand, you can always search for “topsoil near me” and buy some from the nearest store.
