Keeping it Green: Summer lawn care is more than just watering

As Rio Grande Valley temperatures soar and the summer months make their presence known, bear in mind even lawns need to hydrate.

Instead of drowning your landscape with pails of water, take proper measures in order to maintain a healthy turf.

Often homeowners’ chief complaint is yellow spotting throughout the grass, most frequently caused by too much water, said Carlos Martinez, nursery manager at Shary Acres in Mission.

A healthy lawn can be achieved by watering two to three times a week, depending on the dryness of the soil, he said.

“When it’s really hot, don’t plant anything,” Martinez said. “Because the ground soil is very hot, putting something in it gives it a 50/50 chance.”

The first tip in maintaining a healthy lawn is knowing when and how much to water. In general, turf grasses need about three quarters of an inch to one inch of water per week to maintain green color and active growth.

However, during the summer when high temperatures are the norm, you should allow lawns to naturally slow down in growth during those extreme conditions, according to www.american-lawns.com, a Web site for complete and thorough lawn care.

Homeowners can use certain visuals to help determine when indeed it is time to give your lawn a little sprinkle:

• Watch for foot printing, or footprints remaining on the lawn after walking across it (instead of leaf blades bouncing back up), the Web site states.

• Grasses also tend to turn darker in color as they go under drought stress. Sampling the root zone soil could be another option.

The best time to water a lawn — and perhaps a better way to stay out of the harshest midday heat — is to water in the early morning.

The science behind it is that winds are lighter and temperatures are cool; in turn, less water evaporates.

Experts also recommend spreading the water evenly across the lawn. For example, sprinklers vary in distribution patterns, and require spray overlap for uniform coverage, american-lawns.com states. Placing coffee cans or similar straight-sided containers on the lawn can help measure how much water is sprayed.

Once the lawn is healthy, homeowners must practice good judgment when it comes time to mow.

According to lawnandmower.com, it’s beneficial to mow the lawn when the grass is dry, as the blades will cut the grass better. If you mow the grass in wet weather then the weight of the mower and your footsteps will result in muddy patches appearing and the soil surface will become compacted. The grass will find it hard to re-establish itself on these areas.

Also, there is such a thing as too short.

If the grass is too short, then the roots will not receive adequate food. The ability of the lawn to take up nutrients and water through the roots will decline, which in turn will result in poor growth rates, the Web site states.

Mow at heights around three inches or just a bit higher. Do not allow lawns to turn brown and then water them back to a green condition, as this depletes energy reserves and stresses the plant, garden experts said.

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Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468. For this and more local stories visit www.themonitor.com.

The Dos and Don’ts of Summer Lawn Care

• Don’t Misapply Fertilizer

Fertilizing is one of the best lawn maintenance choices you can make. But misapply it and things turn ugly. The nitrogen in fertilizer can burn your lawn, and when temperatures soar, the likelihood of burning goes up. To prevent damage, go for a slow-release fertilizer with lower nitrogen content than usual and follow the directions carefully.

• Do Water Your Lawn

One of the most common summer lawn care pitfalls is inadequate watering. You may be watering your lawn like normal, but the evaporation that results from the heat means that less of that water is getting to your lawn’s roots. Water until the moisture gets about six inches into the soil, and consider increasing the number of times per week you turn on the sprinklers.

• Don’t Slip and Slide

If your kids are just dying for a Slip and Slide, giving one to the neighbors is the way to go. Your lawn has done nothing but provide you with a soft green all-purpose summer surface. Don’t even think about smothering it with plastic in return.

• Do Get in Some Good Barefoot Time

Nothing beats wiggling your toes on your hard-earned green.

— Source: www.allaboutlawns.com