Summer Lawn Care
Today is my kid’s last day of school? How??? Also, Help! haha. Summer is officially here! You’ve probably noticed that lawns don’t love the summer. They turn brown, some almost white, as they try to hang on during the oppressive heat. West Coast lawns are planted with cool season grasses meaning…they prefer cooler temperatures. Under 22 degrees. This is why lawns look their best in May and September. In August, they don’t care how they look, they are just trying to survive. Which is why you need to treat your lawns with care this summer. And always. Btw, if you ignored your lawns this spring (didn’t fertilize, water or maintain them properly) your lawn is about to have its grass kicked 😉 Regardless of its current state, there are some important things everyone needs to do to keep their lawns growing healthy throughout the summer.
1. Mowing. Only mow in the early morning or early evening. Mowing in the heat of the day is a recipe for shock and awwww what, why is my green lawn suddenly brown?? Mowing your lawn with dull blades will create this same shock to your lawn. Have the boys at Highway Rentals or your local place sharpen them for you. Mowing your lawn short at any time is a recipe for shock, awwww and what??? where did those weeds come from?? If we currently mow for you, we take these things into consideration and we have got you covered. By the way, we can mow for you 🙂 We’d love to mow for you! Especially this summer when you go away. Email us!
2. Weed control. Weeds come every year at this time so you shouldn’t be surprised. Like a cold, they are a natural result of an imbalance or deficiency in your lawn and are there for a reason. I actually wrote an award winning (my words) article on weeds recently. Btw, all of my articles can be found under the blog section of our website. Anyways, you probably don’t care why you have weeds, you care how not to have them. Well, I have a solution! Don’t live on the West Coast! 🙂 Also, I’ve been testing a new Eco weed killer in my own backyard and I’m pleased to announce that it actually works. It is harmless to you, your pets and your grass too or I wouldn’t recommend it! You may have already seen it, its called Weed B Gone. You may have already tried it too and were disappointed. It’s because you didn’t use it properly, silly. 🙂 Based on my trials, here’s how Weed B Gone must be used in order to actually be effective. Btw, my backyard was FULL of moss, buttercup and dandelions 2 months ago. We just bought our house ok, no judging…haha. This spring, I used the exact same methods as I use on client’s lawns PLUS Weed B Gone and now… my backyard looks like a park. It really does. We walk barefoot all the time on our velvety carpet.
Note: Weed Be Gone ONLY works an a healthy, growing lawn. If your lawn is half dead and weed ridden, don’t bother. You need a lawn replacement. That said, if your lawn is healthy yet has weeds, Weed B Gone is a good solution. Follow these steps and you should experience some good success.
Step 1 – Spray your weeds on a non rainy day, the day before you mow. You want your weeds as big as possible! Spraying right after you mow is pointless.
Step 2 – Make sure the product sticks to the weeds. It is 0% effective in the soil. Aim and shoot carefully.
Step 3 – Do this 2-3 weeks in a row.
At Lush, we don’t spray weeds for many reasons but are always happy to recommend good, eco-friendly solutions!
3. Watering. Water restrictions aside, every summer customers exclaim proudly, “I don’t water my lawn.” ‘Yeah I know’, is my reply, as I glance at their lawn -haha. For some, their decision is a cash savings, for others, it’s an eco decision. Regardless of why you don’t water your lawn, you need to water your lawn. Grass is a plant. Do you take the summer off from watering your garden? I highly doubt it. If you’re against watering grass, replace the grass with gravel. Or plants. Why continue to grow something you don’t care for? A lawn needs to be watered 1-2 x weekly for 40 min each time to continue to grow healthy in the summer. People also say, “Nah, it’s fine, my lawn will come back in the fall.” It sure will! Along with weeds, crab grass and fungal diseases which you then will end up spraying with toxic chemicals -very un-eco. Not watering may seem eco but the results are not. Best to water. And definitely best to follow your local watering restrictions lest your nosy neighbour decides to rat you out.
4. Summer Fertilizing. Nope.
5. Summer Aerating. Are you serious.
6. Summer Seeding. Why.
A healthy lawn can have numerous ecological, environment, financial, emotional and psychological benefits. These summer tips will help protect your investment.
If you want your own piece of velvet to walk on, email us! We can make it happen 🙂
Have a great summer everyone!