Ideal grass, on the hottest days
July 11, 2006

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Posted by The GreenView Team at 4:31:08 PM | 4 Comment(s)

Children and adults enjoy walking across soft, springy grass.  Green is a restful color and pleasant to look at - particularly if you have the chance to partake of an early cup of coffee outside in the morning. (Try it tomorrow morning if you don't believe me.) So, how do you keep your grass soft, springy and green on the hottest days? The short answer is this: Careful lawn maintenance is still needed throughout the summer.

  • The heat factor.

    Cool season grasses go dormant in hot weather. In prolonged heat, these grasses take on both the color and the texture of shredded wheat rather than soft springy, green grass.  Water will not make the grass grow, but will prevent the soil surface from hardening and cracking.  Do not fertilize your lawn until the hot weather breaks. If you used Greenview Fairway Formula Fertilizer the grass will have nutrients available for when cooler days arrive.

    Frequent, short bursts of water do not soak into the root zone; they evaporate before the grass can use them.  So water early in the morning, and water well.  Set a small cup within reach of the sprinkler and water until that cup has one inch of water in it.  If you do this weekly, your grass will be able to withstand the heat and stress of the summer.

  • Humidity.

    Locations that experience hot, humid summers can be prone to fungus problems in the lawn.  If your lawn suffers from a fungus, do not water at night as that will encourage dampness on the lawn and create a great environment for the fungus to spread.

  • Cutting.

    During the hotest stretch of the summer, keep the mover height around 3-4 inches.  This will keep the grass long enough to inhibit weeds and will keep the surface cool and moist enough to sustain good growth. 

In addition to the lawn care articles on The GreenView, you can check out the Greenview Fertilizer Website for more lawn care advice and tips.

Author Kate Copsey can be reached via www.katecopsey.com.

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Filed under: experts views, fertilizer, general lawn care
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Comments on this entry

Posted by Lawn Mower on April 17, 2008

You can also get little crystals that store and slowly release water. The best bet if your in a dry area it to get drought resistant strains of lawn. They look great even in the dry.


Posted by Lawn Mower Man on April 30, 2007

I agree with the comment on the height of the blades. Too many people really damage their lawns by cutting it to within an inch of its life when the weather is too hot and dry.

I'm hoping we have abit more rain this summer than last... ideally over night!!


Posted by Pastor Bruce on December 24, 2006

Pastor Bruce

I like your spring fertilizer and will most likely start the spring with it. IBDU is great for mid March. Mid May I would like to fertilizer again. If I use a Scotts product it will be in the ground before the turf goes dormant for summer. I like GreenView because of the IBDU and the high percentage of WIN in the fertilizer. I also like Scotts because of the way they make their fertilizer. My problem is which product when so as not to cause flash top growth. I need about 3 lbs nitrogen for my type of lawn. What do you suggest?


Posted by Sprinklers on July 19, 2006

I never thought about raising the mower up in the summer, but I guess that makes sense.