Late Summer Lawn Treatment: Get Ready for Fall
Isn’t it great that it’s summer and you don’t have to worry about lawn treatment?
Yes, that’s a trick question.
We hate to break it to you, but to ensure your lawn stays healthy and beautiful this fall and into next spring, you do have to put a few treatment items on your lawn care to-do list.
Aerate
Summer is when your lawn gets walked over the most. Why does that matter? Because that naturally leads to soil compaction. Think of the difference between a pristine beach and one that crowds have trampled. Harder, less permeable. What that means in your yard is that it’s harder for roots to grow.
The solution is to aerate your yard. An aerator punches holes in the ground. More specifically, it removes cores of soil and redeposits them on the surface. This aids in further lawn treatment because, while it aids in root growth, it also helps all the good stuff you want to access the soil deep down.
Seed
Thin or bare areas in your yard indicate your grass isn’t as well rooted in those areas. If it’s not a bug problem (more on that below), the solution is to re-seed those areas to promote future growth. If you have aerated first, this will work even better.
When’s the best time to do this? You guessed it: late summer. According to the Purdue University Extension, the best time to seed your grass is usually between August 15th and September 15th in central Indiana.
De-bug
Lawn treatment isn’t just about promoting growth and killing weeds. It’s about discouraging lawn-destroying pests, too. White grubs are our biggest concern here in Indiana. They love to feed on grass roots, and their favorite time of year is coming up. Peak feeding is early fall.
But you’re going to be ready for them! We recommend sprinkling Dylox granules over brown patches of grass that are otherwise irrigated (watered) well. If you want to confirm that you have grubs first, just lift up the turf and you’ll see them. Follow the instructions for safe application if you have outdoor pets.
Water
The best lawn “treatment” to preserve your grass and plants is to keep watering into fall. Never rely on rain to fall consistently enough to promote deep weed growth. You’ve got to stick to a routine.
That routine should consist of deep soil saturation. Watering longer and further apart is better than watering constantly but superficially. Think every few days, not daily, unless you’re in drought conditions. Soil needs about 1-1.5 inches per week.
These steps are fairly common for a homeowner like you, serious about lawn care, to take. Of course, there is always more to learn and do, from soil temping and pH testing to lime and nitrogen fertilizer application.
When you reach the end of what you’ve got the time and money to deal with on your own, you know who you call!
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[maxbutton id=”2″ ]Clean Cut Lawn & Landscape
7415 W Jackson St
Muncie, IN 47304-9759
(765) 759-8575
info@cleancutlandscape.net