As the weather outside steadily gets warmer and warmer, and you’re starting to see more May flowers than April showers, you might start thinking about how to prepare your yard for the season ahead. Getting your yard ready for summer might seem daunting, but it can be a breeze if you follow the right steps to keep your curb appeal high and your landscape healthy and vibrant.
When it comes to getting your yard ready for summer, there are some key elements to take care of to keep your yard not only looking its best but also as healthy as possible.
Step 1: Aerate Your Lawn
Before the summer gets underway, you’ll want to get ahead of your summer yard prep by aerating your lawn before the hot weather hits. Aerating before summertime is in full swing is imperative to allow water, oxygen, and nutrients to get into your grass’ roots efficiently and before the sun and heat begin to beat down. This lets your grass’ roots form a healthy system and will keep your yard looking healthy and lush throughout the entire season.
When the best time to perform this process depends on the type of grass you have. If you have cool-season grass, like bluegrass or ryegrass, you’ll ideally want to aerate your lawn in the autumn. However, if you’re in a warmer climate and hence have warm-season grasses, you’ll want to aerate in the spring.
Lawn aeration should be down at least every 1-3 years but might need to be done more often in particularly high-traffic areas.
Step 2: Remove Thatch
Once you’ve properly aerated your lawn, you’ll want to remove excess thatch, or decaying plant material, that accumulates on your lawn. A layer of thatch that is more than half an inch can block sunlight from reaching the grass underneath and can prevent water from reaching its roots. This in turn results in dry and brown patches on your lawn.
Removing thatch, however, is an easy process that can be done either in the autumn when raking up leaves, but also in the spring to get it ready for the warm weather.
Step 3: Fertilize Your Lawn
After aerating your lawn and removing excess thatch from the area, it’s time to fertilize your lawn! Depending on what kind of grass you have, you should take a different approach to fertilize properly.
For warm-season grasses, spread a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the springtime to prepare it for summer. However, make sure to scale back how much you’re spreading about 30 days before the height of summer. For cool-season grasses, you’ll want to fertilize both in the early spring and during the early fall. Use a fertilizer with high nitrogen levels, especially in the fall.
Step 4: Lawn Upkeep
Both in the spring and summer alike, you’ll want to pay attention to your lawn’s upkeep, including regularly watering it, and always keeping your lawn mowed properly. During the summer, unless you experience frequent rainfall, you’ll want to water your lawn around once a week (either in the early morning or in the evening) to keep your roots penetrated and healthy.
Your lawn’s health also depends on keeping your grass mowed regularly. Never cut over ⅓ of the grass’ height during each mowing session, and mow more so in the spring than the summer to strengthen roots before summer heat strikes.
Now that you know how to keep your yard prepared for summer, add in some landscaping for a dynamic and attractive look for summer entertaining. For all of the best landscaping materials to accent your healthy lawn and boost your curb appeal to the highest it’s ever been, discover Pillar Aggregates’ low-cost, quarry-direct materials.
