How Cultural Practices Affect the Health of Your Lawn in the Summer

You’ve done everything that a homeowner should do to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful, including hiring a professional lawn service to apply fertilizer and weed control to your lawn. However, maintaining a beautiful lawn requires both a lawn service and mindful practices that are performed by the homeowner.

One of the most important parts of maintaining a beautiful lawn are the cultural practices that homeowners employ. Mowing and watering are needed for a lawn to be healthy and look its best. 

These are important steps to take when maintaining your lawn throughout the year:

• Keep to a Regular Mowing Schedule. Lawns should be mowed at 3 to 3 1/2 inches during the growing season. The lawn will need to be mowed more frequently in the spring and as needed throughout the growing season.

• Water Consistently. Watering is very important—it keeps your lawn healthy. Usually there is sufficient rainfall in the spring to keep a lawn green and lush. In the months of June, July, and August, it is beneficial for a lawn to receive one and a half inches of water per week. Pittsburgh summers can sometimes be very rainy, but may also suffer from low rainfall or complete lack of rainfall. If that’s the case, it is recommended that a homeowner water in the morning, not in the late afternoon or evening.

Keep Your Lawn Watered to Avoid Turf Damage

Lack of watering in the summer months will cause summer stress, which causes the turf to thin and allows crabgrass and unwanted broadleaf weeds to invade your yard. Severe summer stress can lead to permanent turf damage that will require costly repairs. If you are going away for vacation, pay someone to water the lawn in the morning, or ask a neighbor to take over the job while you’re gone.

While many homeowners hire a lawn service to improve the look and health of their lawn, homeowners have as much to do with their lawn’s performance as their lawn care provider. Superior Lawn Service is happy to answer your questions about proper cultural practices for your lawn. Give us a call. We service all areas in southwestern PA, including North Huntingdon, Wexford, Indiana, Upper St. Clair, Belle Vernon, and Moon Township.