Keeping that Lawn Green in the Heat of Summer
Where has this year gone? We are already mid summer, back to school for some kiddos and college kids are getting ready to move into their dorms. While we are starting to get back into the school routine, we still need to care for our yards properly. With the lack of rain and the heat here are some tips to keep that green lawn, green.
Mow at the Right Height
Raise your mower height to keep your grass taller in summer. This helps with shading soil, which in turn with helps with water evaporation and deeper roots. It also helps with weeds not being able to germinate as quickly.
Water Properly
Water your lawn deeply and properly for the healthiest of grass. Never water your lawn in the heat of the day. Water early morning or late evening when it has time to thoroughly absorb. Your grass should get an inch and a half of water a week. That is two watering sessions of 3/4 of an inch of water.
Treat for Grubs
Japanese Beetles and June bugs lay their egg in the grass Mid to late summer. Those eggs hatch and become grubs. Check and see when the best time for grub control is in your area.
Clean up After your Pup
Your pup can cause dead spots in the your yard. Make sure to flush the area to dilute the urine in the soil.
Avoid parking on Grass
Driving or parking on the grass is never a good idea. it causes a lot of other problems such as soil compaction. It is a good idea to limit walking on the grass during drought season to limit the damage to the turf crowns.
Sharpen your Mower Blades
Dull blades will tear the grass. This creates ragged brown edges. This provides an opening for disease organisms. General rule of thumb is to sharpen your blades after 10 hours of mowing. This is a good task when you are skipping a week of mowing due to lack of growth.
Tackle Those Weeds
Apply weed control. Always follow the directions. Do not apply a pre-emergent herbicide in fall if you plan to seed. Use a low nitrogen fertilizer to feed your lawn. Use a 4:1:2 fertilizer , 4:Nitrogen, 1: Phosphorus, 2: Potassium and always water it in. You can pick it up at any of your local hardware stores.
Make sure to let us know what tips you end up using for your lawn or which ones that you already use.
School's Back in Session!
As the Summer slowly comes to an end, I think of back to school "season"
and that makes me think of routines. When I think of routines, I think of bed times. Summer is that time of year when bed times don't exist. Now that school is near, they will again. I always dreaded this as a kid, we had to be in bed before the street lights came on and we could still hear the other kids outside playing. But as an adult, I have bed time now more than ever... funny right?! And I can still hear the neighborhood kids outside playing, just this time I don't get mad at my parents for making me go to bed so early...
Okay, I digress..
Our kids are heading back to school and our college kids are moving into their dorms, however, we are still moving right a long. We are taking care of the property's that needs a second round of shrub trimmings, planting trees, placing rock and so much more. We are still spraying properties to keep the weeds at bay and have had to fix some irrigation systems. Our 100 days of Hell as we call it, is starting to slow down, that means that we have to start gearing up for leaf season, for us that is what this time of year brings when the kiddos are in school.
Wishing all of our kids, the best school year yet!
Difficult times for everyone - How have you adjusted?
In the world we are living in today, many of us have had a difficult time adjusting to lifestyle changes. Whether that may be working from home permanently, the need to stretch your wallet now more than ever, or figuring out how you are going to afford gas this week; it has been a difficult ongoing adjustment for almost everyone. Each and everyone of us have had to decide whether to let this get the best of us, or to persevere instead.
We can take the time to acknowledge all of the things you miss, or we can be thankful for what we still have and what we have gained. What have we gained in the last two years you ask? We have gained perspective and knowledge that otherwise many of us never would have found. Many of us have gained patience, and in many ways it has been thrust upon us. Above all else we should be grateful for the good health of our friends and family.
While daily life is simple chaos, we can still find ways to succeed. If you don’t like the world around you then channel your time into something positive either for yourself, or others. We all can come out of this a better person than we were before.
I'm not sure "this" (the last 2 years) will ever really be over. Although tomorrow brings hope, we still need to persevere and take the actions necessary to continue our progress.
What have you learned from the last two years (2022 - 2022) so far? Have you learned how to persevere and adapt in the face of trouble? Have you learned to cherish your time with friends? I hope that as we slowly transition back to whatever the new normal is or will become and that we come out of this more grateful and prepared than we were when this all started.
Rockstar
Rock Star of the month is being re-vamped. We are changing the way we nominate our staff and working on the meat and potatoes of this prestigious award. It will be back just in time for the September issue of our newsletter/blog.
LD
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