The Ultimate Guide to a Stunning Yard in North Dakota’s Summer Heat

The dog days of summer continue, and you might find yourself working in the yard to whip things into shape before the 4th of July holiday. Summer is great for us, but it can be tough on your lawn. Want to keep your lawn healthy in the summer heat? Follow these important summer lawn care tips from Lawn Buddies:

1. Don't water every single day

We know it sounds good. When the summer sun is beating down, you can almost hear your yard gasping for water: Be strong and careful when you water so that your grass gets the right amount of water, but not too much. The best time is early morning when it's still cool and the water won't evaporate in the hot sun.

If you water your yard less often but more deeply, the roots will grow deeper and stronger, which will help your lawn stay green in the summer.

2. Feeding your lawn three times in the summer to keep it green

Many people don't give their lawns the fertilizer it needs and will only put it down once or twice a year. During the growing season, you need to feed your lawn three times with fertilizer if you want it to stay green and healthy so you can have barbecues and spend lazy summer weekends on the porch.

When should you feed your grass in the summer? Plan for the middle of May, the end of June, and the beginning to middle of August. One of the most essential summer lawn care tips is to keep up with the fertilizer.

With the right fertilizer blend, your lawn can get the right mix of fast-release and slow-release fertilizer it needs to get benefits both quickly and over time.

Use 25% quick-release fertilizer and 75% slow-release fertilizer to keep your yard green during the summer, but avoid big growth spikes so you don't have to mow it all the time.

3. Don't Let Weeds Take Over

Weeds like summer because they think you'll be too busy with vacations, cold drinks on the porch, and deciding which flip-flops to wear to notice them.

Show them who's in charge and your lawn will stay healthy during the hot summer months when weeds grow like crazy.

You'll need a multi-step plan to get rid of weeds here, including a pre-emergent weed treatment in the spring to kill weeds before they grow, plant applications to kill dandelion and clover, and spot treatments for those annoying weeds that keep popping up.

4. Mow your lawn high in the summer to keep it green.

If you cut your grass too short, it gets stressed, especially in the summer heat, and is more likely to be hurt by bugs and diseases. Never cut more than a third of the grass blade at a time.

5. Keep the blades on your mower sharp.

The grass is shredded instead of cut cleanly when the mower blade is dull. This makes the grass die and turn brown at the tips. Pests and diseases can also get in through the rough edges.

When you cut grass with a sharp blade, you get a clean cut, which helps the grass heal faster. That helps keep your grass green in summer.

6. Be aware of lawn fungus

Your garden is more likely to get fungus in the summer because of the high humidity. So watch for it, because it can happen very quickly.

When you wake up on a warm morning and look at your yard, you might see that big parts of it have turned yellow or brown.

When fungus hurts a lawn, it usually has a brown spot where the grass has died and a yellow-brown ring where the fungus is growing.

The way to treat a disease will depend on what kind of illness it is.

Fungicides can be used to treat many diseases in lawns. A professional who takes care of lawns can help you figure out what's wrong and how to fix it.

With all these tips, you will have the best yard on the block. Happy mowing!

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