Don’t Allow Summer Stress to Stress Out Your Lawn!

During hot, humid western Pennsylvania summers, you may wonder how to properly care for your lawn so that it doesn’t become stressed and cause severe damage to your turf. (Even if it is humid the whole summer—and in Pittsburgh, it usually is—that doesn’t mean that any of the moisture is getting into the soil, where the roots of the grass are.)

Proper Watering Practices Keep Your Lawn Healthy

Many factors affect how much water a lawn needs, such as soil types, weather conditions, and maintenance practices. Homeowners often ask us:

• How Much Should I Water? As a general rule, 1 to 1 1/2 inches per week will maintain a lawn’s green color and active growth of cool-season grasses. Whether watering by means of an irrigation system or hand watering with the hose, it is recommended to water deeply and as infrequently as possible to avoid promoting a shallow root system. Remember, if your soil is heavier clay, that means that if can hold water better than “lighter” soil.

• Should I Water Every Day? Water conservation is an important element of being a responsible environmental steward. Your lawn should never be irrigated on a set schedule, but rather watering should only take place when visual signs such as footprints not springing back up, or a color change on the grass blades, is observed.

• Should I Water in the Morning or Evening? The best time of day to water is in the morning. Watering at midday brings evaporation problems and late evening to night time watering increases the incidence of turf grass diseases.

Homeowners hire a professional lawn service company, like Superior Lawn Care, to improve the look and health of their lawn. As a homeowner, you also have a big role to play in keeping your lawn healthy and well-tended so that it looks its best.

Superior Lawn Care knows that you may have questions about how when and how often to water your lawn to prevent heat stress. Give us a call—we’re happy to talk you through it. We service all areas in southwestern PA, including Moon Township, North Huntingdon, Upper St. Clair, Indiana, Belle Vernon, and Wexford.