Many areas of the country are experiencing scorching, dry summers. High heat and limited rainfall makes summertime lawn care extra challenging. As skilled lawn care specialists, we want to offer you 5 practical solutions to maintain your lawn during the height of a dry summer.

5 Practical Tips to Keep Your Grass Green

How can you keep your grass green in the summer heat? Before you give up on a lovely, vibrant lawn, consider these tips to encourage healthy grass while keeping your water bill down.

Tip #1: Water Grass Early in the Day

Try watering early in the morning — right before dawn, if possible. Good timing will reduce evaporative loss and minimize the risk of developing lawn fungus. If you don't have a sprinkler system with a timer and waking up before dawn won't work with your schedule, at least try to water your lawn by midmorning.

Tip #2: Water Your Lawn Enough

You'll get better results if you water well periodically than if you lightly sprinkle your lawn every morning. Aim for about 1-1.5 inches of water once or twice a week instead of a light spray daily. Less frequent but more prolonged irrigation gives the lawn enough water to soak down to the roots and plenty of time to make the most of this essential resource.

Tip #3: Don't Mow Too Close to the Ground

If you do it yourself or rely on a lawn mowing service in Conway, ensure the mower is set to leave at least three inches of grass blades above the ground. Longer blades of grass provide the root system with natural shade. Also, taller grass generally encourages strong, deep, and drought-resistant roots.

Tip #4: Use Low-Nitrogen Fertilizer

Fertilizer with too much nitrogen encourages rapid growth. In turn, rapidly growing gra
ss demands more water. In contrast, fertilizer with a nitrogen content from 10 to 14 will encourage moderate growth and help spare water. Some manufacturers even develop special lawn fertilizers for droughts.

Tip 5: Use the Mulch Setting on the Lawn Mower

You can set most mowers to mulch instead of capturing grass blades in a bag to discard. This mulch provides your lawn with extra nutrition, retains water, and gives the ground and roots a bit more shade. You can also ask your lawn care company to do the same when they mow.

How to Make Grass Green After Turning Brown

If your lawn dies down to the roots, you may need to buy seed or sod. At the same time, many kinds of grass naturally enter a dormant phase at the height of summer — just like they do during the winter. Brown grass might simply lie dormant but not dead. Typically, a couple of weeks of regular watering will revive it.

You might also see brown patches on an otherwise healthy lawn. Some potential causes of brown spots of grass may include:

Pests: Common lawn pests include lawn grubs or chinch bugs. They tend to gain the upper hand in lawns that haven't received proper care.

Pet potty: Your pets might also take a turn "watering" your lawn, which can sometimes scorch the grass. Water the brown area well with plain water, and try to keep Fluffy from doing their business on visible lawn spots.

If you’re having a tough time recovering your lawn from the summer heat, call us today. We provide lawn maintenance to keep your lawn looking healthy, well-manicured, and cared for. We'll work with you to create a maintenance plan that will keep your yard looking beautiful year-round.