With the temperatures steadily rising across the Southeast, many are looking for ways to properly prepare their lawn for the summer heat on the horizon. A lawn that is properly mowed, fertilized and watered has far fewer problems with weeds, diseases, and insects so getting a head start on preparing your lawn is key.

We’ve highlighted a few simple things you can do now to ensure your grass stays healthy throughout the summer months:

Do Some Spring Cleaning

The first step to prepping your lawn is to clean up any leaves, twigs and other debris. Your yard isn’t the only thing that needs to be cleaned – take a good look at your lawn mower, remove any debris stuck in the mower that could block fertilizers and other materials from being properly absorbed.

Aerate Your Lawn

Aerating your lawn before summer is extremely important because it allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate your grassroots more efficiently.

Fertilize

Routinely scheduled application of insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides are recommended to aid in the prevention of weeds, insects and disease. Product combinations of fertilizer and weed control may be utilized but Woerner recommends separate applications to target specific issues as they occur.

Water Your Lawn

Even in areas that receive a lot of rainfall, natural moisture might not be enough to keep your grass healthy on its own. Water slowly and gradually to allow water to penetrate to the root level and avoid a runoff. A sprinkler system is great for this. Water at night or in the early morning hours so that the moisture is going straight to the grass rather than being evaporated by heat.

Keep Your Grass Mowed

Mowing your grass keeps it growing at a healthy rate. It should be done roughly once a week although this depends on how fast your grass grows. In the hottest part of summer make sure to let it grow about a half inch longer to provide shade for its roots and conserve moisture,

Of course, these are just a few things you can do, but if you have questions specific to your lawn contact one of our landscape specialists at any of our Woerner Farm retail outlets.