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Summer maintenance tips: How to care for your lawn

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Homeowner Tips

This time of year, everyone’s green space is on display. Whether your yard is begging for some TLC, or you’re looking to take your lawn to the next level, these tried-and-true tips from The Lawn Care Nut can help you transform your lackluster greenspace into a lush meadow!

How to Care for Your Lawn in the Summer

From mowing to watering to fertilizing and finally enjoying, these lawn maintenance tips will have you ready to fire up the barbecue for a fun summer get-together.

MOW

Employ the “Rule of Thirds” to boost your lawn health. By cutting only the top one-third of your grass, it can pull in more sunlight, which is the first step to growing more roots and improving spread. This also reduces stress by limiting the amount of nutrients removed at any one time. Your grass can grow more easily and be less susceptible to disease, insects, and weed pressure.

Depending on several factors, waiting for the grass to get long enough for that one-third mow could take 3-7 days. As you figure out which mower setting will hit that magic length, start with the tallest one. For sharp mower blades, you can purchase a pre-sharpened mower blade from your hardware store, have them sharpened at said store (usually for a fee), or do it yourself.

Certain types of grass, known as “turf” grass, are naturally more able to hang tough, but they can still be weakened by overtrimming.

WATER

Strategy is vital when it comes to watering your lawn. If there are different spots that need more hydration, focus on improving your yard one section at a time.

In the summer, lawns in more northern locations need roughly ½ an inch of water a week. If you live somewhere warmer or have had a lot of hot weather lately, you should aim for about an inch. Most hardware stores have rain gauges to help you measure how much rain and sprinkler systems are watering your lawn.

FERTILIZE

Last but not least, fertilizing is key. Estimate your square footage and compare it to the coverage listed on the bag in order to fertilize appropriately. If you can get it, organic fertilizer is safer (especially for newbies), because accidental overuse won’t ‘burn your lawn’ by oversaturating it with nutrients.

Fertilize your lawn every 5 weeks during growing season, and expect to mow more often as it grows.

Pro Tip: Mow as normal before application, so your fertilizer can work its way into the remaining grass. More fertilizer also means more weeds, so be prepared. If you’re doing the steps above, weed removal should be easy to handle.

Fertilize your wallet with a warranty for your home systems and appliances today. Call 888.351.3681 or visit APHW.COM for more information.

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