During springs in Michigan, it seems as if you’re constantly planning your lawn care around the rain. You can’t mow one day because it rained the night before, but you can’t put off cutting the grass for too long as it’s supposed to rain again in 48 hours. Though all the back and forth certainly makes it difficult for you and your lawn care services to maintain your landscaping, it does ensure that come the drier months, you have a healthy, lush, and emerald-green lawn.
During those summer months, the trick becomes less about planning around the rain and more about keeping your lawn in tip-top shape despite the heat, periods of drought, and increased foot traffic, which you can master with this summer lawn care schedule.
In Michigan, you can’t rely on your neighbor to tell you how much rain you got, as there’s the very real possibility it poured at their house but only drizzled at yours. Place a rain gauge in the middle of your lawn to determine how much perspiration you get each week. If you receive about one inch each week, your lawn should be good and hydrated. However, if the temperatures are extreme, your lawn may need a bit more water. If that’s the case, water early in the day or later in the evening, when the sun isn’t strong enough to suck it back up.
You should also note that it does not do any good to try to water a brown lawn back to life. Either be consistent with your summer lawn care efforts or don’t. If your lawn goes dormant, leave it that way until the fall, when regular rainfall should nurture it back to life.
It is almost every Michigan homeowner’s instinct to cut the grass as short as possible when they get the chance to mow, as they never know when the opportunity will arise again (you know how sporadic those summer thunderstorms can be). Again, if this is your instinct, go against it. Raise your mower blade, as taller grass grows deeper roots and is, therefore, more drought tolerant.
As a bonus, the tall grass helps shade the earth, thereby preventing weed infestations. If your lawn is covered in cool-season grass, keep the blade at three to four inches high. If your grass is a warm-season grass, you can lower it a bit to two to three inches.
That said, you should still mow whenever you get the opportunity. By keeping your clippings to just 1/3 of an inch or less, you can ensure your grass stays lush and healthy. It also helps to prevent tall clippings from suffocating the grass beneath. These small but important details are essential components of a solid summer lawn care schedule.
If your grass sees a lot of foot traffic, you may want to consider installing stepping stones. Not only do stepping stones, pavers and pathways add appealing design elements to your lawn but also, they help protect your grass from frequent trampling, which often results in brittle or even dormant patches of grass.
Whether you work long hours and don’t have time to maintain your own lawn or you have a lot on your plate and don’t want to add one more chore to your honey-do list, Lush Lawn is more than willing and able to take over your summer lawn care and take care of all the essential steps comprising an effective summer lawn care schedule. Contact our lawn care service today to request a free estimate.