Summer in Houston brings intense heat and humidity, which can take a toll on your lawn. Whether you’re a professional landscaper or a home gardening enthusiast, mastering the best summer lawncare practices is essential to maintain a healthy, vibrant lawn. Here are the most important and best summer lawncare practices, including advice on mowing, watering, applying mulch, and using soil conditioners and fertilizers.
Mowing: Keep It Sharp and High
Mower Maintenance One of the most overlooked aspects of lawn care is mower maintenance. A sharp mower blade is crucial; a dull blade tears the grass, leaving it vulnerable to disease and stress. Therefore, sharpen or replace your mower blade at least once per season. Additionally, regularly check the blade’s condition and keep your mower clean and well-oiled to ensure it runs smoothly.
Mowing Height During the summer, set your mower blade higher. Taller grass shades the soil, reducing water evaporation and protecting the roots from heat. Aim for a mowing height of about 3 to 4 inches. Consequently, this encourages deeper root growth, which helps your lawn withstand drought and heat.
Watering: Deep and Infrequent
Watering Schedule Watering is crucial during the hot Houston summers. Therefore, water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Typically, your lawn needs about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, including rainfall. Moreover, water early in the morning to minimize evaporation and fungal growth.
Soil Moisture Test Probing the soil with a screwdriver can help you determine if your lawn is getting enough water. Push a screwdriver into the soil; if it goes in easily, your soil is well-watered. However, if it’s difficult to push in, your soil might be compacted or dry. Thus, this simple test ensures you are watering enough and helps prevent overwatering, which can lead to fungal issues.
Mulching: Protect and Nourish
Mulch is an excellent way to retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, and add organic matter to your lawn. Casco Organics offers two great options: Native Mulch and Native Texas Cedar Mulch.
Application Tips Spread a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around your garden beds and trees, keeping it a few inches away from the stems and trunks to prevent rot. Mulch helps to suppress weeds and adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. As a result, it becomes an integral part of summer lawn care.
Soil Conditioners and Fertilizers: Boost Soil Health
Soil Conditioners Houston’s clay-heavy soil can become compacted, restricting root growth and water absorption. Applying a soil conditioner like Medina Soil Activator can help improve soil structure and promote beneficial microbial activity. Consequently, this conditioner enhances the soil’s ability to retain moisture and nutrients, fostering a healthier lawn.
Fertilizing Summer fertilizing should be approached with caution. Use a slow-release fertilizer to provide steady nutrients without causing rapid growth that stresses the lawn. Organic fertilizers are a great choice, as they improve soil health over time. The Healthy Soil Organics Summer Lawn Bundle is an excellent option. This bundle combines an outstanding organic soil conditioner, MicroLife Humates Plus, with a professional-grade organic fertilizer, MicroLife Multi-Purpose 6-2-4. One of the major benefits of using MicroLife fertilizers is that they are 100% slow release and will never burn your lawn, even if over-applied. Together, these products nourish your lawn and enhance soil health.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to avoid over-fertilizing, which can burn your lawn. Slow-release fertilizers and organic options provide a steady nutrient supply, supporting robust growth without overstressing the grass.
Top Dressing and Levelling: Improve Lawn Structure
Top Dressing Top dressing with Casco Organics Manure Compost improves moisture retention, microbial diversity, and nutritional density in the soil. Spread a thin layer of compost over your lawn to enhance its organic matter content, promoting a healthier and more resilient lawn.
Levelling For lawns with undulations, uneven patches, or holes, use Casco Organics Lawn Mix. The mix contains 60% screened sand and 40% rich hummus, providing the necessary structure to raise low spots and level the lawn. Unlike compost, which is primarily for nutrition and moisture, lawn mix adds physical structure to the soil, helping to smooth out and stabilize uneven areas.
Additional Tips
Weed Control For organic weed control, natural solutions like baking soda or vinegar can be effective against difficult-to-remove weeds and unwanted native grass species. Apply these solutions directly to the weeds, taking care to avoid contact with desirable plants. Hand-pulling weeds is another effective method and can be facilitated by regular mulching, which blocks sunlight from reaching weed seeds and inhibits their growth.
Aeration If your lawn shows signs of compaction, consider aeration. This process involves removing small plugs of soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil. Aeration is typically best done in the fall, but if your lawn is severely compacted, summer aeration can be beneficial.
By following these professional tips, you can maintain a lush, healthy lawn throughout the scorching Houston summer. Regular mower maintenance, proper watering techniques, strategic mulching, and the right use of soil conditioners and fertilizers will keep your lawn looking its best. These best summer lawncare practices ensure your lawn stays vibrant and healthy. For more information on premium mulches and lawn care products, visit Casco Organics’ Native Mulch and Native Texas Cedar Mulch pages.
Happy gardening!
