Summertime is when you kick back, relax, and enjoy your lawn. However, the extreme heat and humidity of the Atlanta summer is host to a large number of threats to your grass. Keeping your eye out for potential risk can save you valuable time and money in the long run, as well as just ensuring that your lawn remains beautiful and healthy throughout the season.
Don’t Overwater Your Lawn
Summer heat is one of the first things people think of with summer lawn care. It can be dangerous to your lawn, not just because of possible heat damage, but also because people tend to either overwater or underwater their lawn this time of year, not paying attention to ways they can save water either way. The saying that “there can never be too much of a good thing” doesn’t apply to grass. Watering your lawn too much in the Summer is an easy way to get lawn fungus. The excess water combined with the humid heat creates ideal conditions for fungus and leaves your grass susceptible to weeds.
Beware of Grubs and other Insects
On the other hand, not giving your lawn enough water can weaken it to a state where grubs or other pests can easily infiltrate your grass only to reemerge later in the season. Grub damage only really begins to show itself once summer has ended, around September or October; however, by then the damage is done and the only thing you can do is scramble to heal your lawn before winter. Ideally, the best strategy is to prevent series damage and eliminate the grubs before they ruin your lawn.
Grub activity can manifest itself by grass discoloration, grey to brown, and wilting. You may also notice an increase of birds and various rodents on your grass, as the grubs are a source of food for them. To see if your lawn has a grub problem, use a shovel or trowel to cut three 90-degree angle lines around 3” deep 12” long each. Peel back the layer of grass and look for any grubs that you can find. If you see more than 1 or 2 per square foot call one of our Atlanta lawn care professionals to do an inspection.
Prevention is the Best Defense
The best defense that a lawn can have is to be healthy in the first place. Just as a solid immune system can stop you from getting sick, a healthy lawn will fight off threats before they can get a foothold. Using proper mowing techniques and giving your lawn about an inch of water a week are easy ways to keep your lawn strong without breaking the bank or giving you a second job in the yard.
photo credit: Daisy Flowers via photopin (license)