As we roll through August and into September, it’s time to switch over to late summer lawn care. Lawn care in St. Louis, MO has been especially tricky this summer due to the extreme heat. It’s important to keep your lawn as healthy as you can before you enter the fall and winter seasons. Addressing problems now will make future lawn care that much easier.
Address bald spots and brown grass
Hot summer weather often causes dry, brown grass. Late summer lawn care calls for keeping your lawn properly watered so that your grass stays green and lush. If you have pets, clean up their waste as soon as you can so that it does not affect the grass. For pet urine, flush the area with water to dilute it to prevent grass damage. For existing brown or bald spots, add a grass seed spot treatment or work with a lawn care professional to get a special formula that will bring your grass back to life.
Monitor your mowing height
Different grass types call for different mowing heights. Take a look at this guide to make sure you are mowing your grass correctly. During summer, it’s often a good idea to keep your grass a little longer so that the higher blades can shade the soil and retain moisture. Leaving glass clippings can also help keep the soil cool and moist, and even act as a fertilizer.
Schedule lawn aeration
Aeration is an essential aspect of late summer lawn care. All summer long, your lawn has been walked on, weighed down by patio furniture, and heavily trafficked. All that activity compacts your soil, making it difficult for air to properly circulate through the soil. Lawn aeration will loosen up the compacted soil and ensure that water, nutrients, and fertilizer permeate the soil. Late summer is the perfect time to aerate your lawn, so make sure your schedule aeration services.
Apply fertilizer
After your lawn has been aerated, the soil will be properly prepped for fertilizer. Apply fertilizer to your lawn to give it an extra boost of nutrients in late summer. Your lawn’s fertilizer schedule may vary, but it should definitely include a fertilizer application with the change of seasons.
Rake and remove leaves
Raking leaves may be associated with autumn, but late summer lawn care often involves leaf removal as well. Depending on the types of trees you have in your yard, you might have already noticed some leaves dropping to the ground. Be sure to continually rake and remove any leaves that fall onto your grass. If the leaves are left on the lawn, the grass growth could be stunted. It’s also not uncommon for piles of leaves to develop a fungus that can be very harmful to your lawn. So, if you want to keep your lawn healthy, pull out the yard waste bags and stay on top of leaf removal.
There are a lot of things to keep track of for late summer lawn care. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want an expert’s help, don’t hesitate to contact Hackmann Lawn and Landscape. We’d love to help.
