Posted on February 27th, 2022
Mowing Tips – Lawn care can become more challenging as the summer rolls around. With the extreme heat that summer brings, you can almost always expect your lawn grass to turn brown. Although the heat primarily causes this, several factors can cause stress on your lawn, causing the grass to turn brown. One way of reducing this stress is to mow your lawn correctly so you can enjoy lush greenery on your property all summer long. Below, we share a few valuable lawn mowing height summer ideas and tips to help you maintain a lush, green lawn all summer long.
The summer heat undoubtedly brings stress to lawn grass. But this can manifest in different stages. This will be apparent during the early stages as you walk around your lawn. You’ll notice the first sign when footprints remain on the grass even after hours have passed. Some will become grayish in color, while others will take on a darker shade of green. But all of them will lose their bright green color.
They may also appear discolored with a slight touch of gray or a darker shade of green.
As the summer heat continues, the effects of stress will become more prominent on your lawn. Grass blades may start to curl, and the tips may turn brown. Eventually, brown patches will begin to appear around your yard, which can be caused by several factors, which we will discuss in the next section.
Lawn stress can come from many factors. But in all of these cases, the common denominator is your lawn’s inability to take in nutrients and the moisture necessary to grow healthy blades of grass.
During the summer, when it is noticeably hotter, plants rely on a process called transpiration to keep cool. They will also need to absorb water through their roots to replace the water they lose during this process. But under the extreme heat of summer, plants, including grass, will lose moisture more rapidly. When there isn’t enough water to replace what they lost, grass blades will start to wilt and turn brown.
In many cases, grass blades will turn brown as a survival measure when hot and dry. This happens when the grass enters a state of dormancy, stopping all of its processes to conserve energy until mild weather conditions return. Once you start irrigation, the grass will turn green again. However, don’t do so unless you plan to continue regular irrigation because it only causes the grass to go in and out of dormancy, causing further stress on the plant.
Insect pests will start to become more active as the weather becomes warmer. During this time, insects may attack your lawn as a food source. Some insect pests you can expect to see around this time include chinch bugs, sod webworms, white grubs, and armyworms.
Lawns that are already drought-stressed are also more susceptible to the action of disease-causing fungi and other organisms. You will see this effect when discolored grass patches appear on your lawn.
Improperly caring for your grass during the summer can cause incredible amounts of stress on your lawn. This can be the improper cutting of the grass, making them more susceptible to disease. Mowing too short diminishes its surface area, limiting its ability to produce chlorophyll and stalls its growth, making it more vulnerable to drought and disease. Not giving your lawn enough water can make the soil too compact, while too much water can weaken the turf.
Proper lawn care is essential in keeping your grass healthy throughout the summer. Take special care of your lawn by mowing it the right way. Here are some lawn mowing tips to keep in mind:
Because of the hotness of summer, the soil tends to lose moisture more quickly to evaporation. This causes your lawn to grow more slowly. So it also makes sense to mow less frequently to allow sufficient time for your lawn to grow.
Lawn mowing height summer recommendations will always have one thing in common: maintaining grass height at three-and-a-half to four inches to facilitate moisture retention. This height is long enough to provide sufficient shade while short enough to remain aesthetically pleasing. This also discourages weed seed germination in your lawn, keeping it weed-free.
Furthermore, lawn mowing height summer experts recommend not cutting more than a third of the grass’ height at a time. If your grass has grown substantially while you were away on vacation, then it is recommended that you cut it gradually, leaving a few days in between mowing days to reach the recommended height. Cutting too much too fast lessens surface area for chlorophyll production, causing your lawn to become brown prematurely.
Always mow your lawn with a sharp blade. Dull blades will cut grass unevenly or tear the grass blades, creating uneven edges and damaging the tissues. These will eventually dry out, creating entry points for diseases and pests. Make sure to sharpen your blades before mowing your lawn to ensure optimum cutting efficiency.
If possible, mow during the coolness of early morning or early in the evening. Cutting under the heat of midday places additional stress on your lawn, which may accelerate browning.
When your lawn has turned dormant, never attempt to mow it even when it is too high. Heavy foot and mowing traffic may damage your grass, causing it to dry out and eventually die. =
Switch it up every time you mow your lawn. Change your mowing direction or pattern to reduce soil compaction and turf wear. Alternating your mowing patterns also ensures that you’re cutting the grass and not pushing it over when going in the same direction all the time.
Finally, don’t rake up grass clippings after mowing your lawn. Grass clippings act as a mulch on your lawn, providing ample shade for moisture retention while reintroducing nitrogen-rich organic matter to the soil.
Keeping up with seasonal lawn care is essential for maintaining a healthy yard filled with lush greenery. A big part of that is knowing how to trim your grass correctly to ensure that the grass experiences the least amount of stress possible and maintain its uptake of nutrients and moisture from the soil.
Do you need expert assistance in getting your lawn ready for the changing seasons? Look no further than Turf Unlimited for Mowing Tips. Give us a call at 888-649-9919 or contact us today to learn more about our lawn care services to help you grow and maintain a healthy lawn year-round!
