You can get away without mowing your lawn as frequently in the summer when warmer temperatures and a lack of moisture slow grass growth. Don't be alarmed if your grass is going from green to brown, it's just its way of conserving nutrients. To get the best looking lawn with the least effort follow the advice from turf specialists and the experts at Consumer Reports.
Peter Sawchuk, who oversees lawn mower testing at Consumer Reports recommends getting your soil tested. To find out how to take a soil sample and where to send it for testing, check with your local cooperative extension office. There's no need to fertilize your lawn in the summer, that job can wait until fall. Here are some other tips from Sawchuk and the lawn care experts at Cornell University.
- Prepare your lawn for more moisture stress by mowing high (at least 3 inches) to encourage strong root systems. Leave the clippings.
- Keep your mower blade sharp to reduce water loss from plants after mowing. Also avoid mowing during the hottest part of the day.
- Consider not watering unless you have a small lawn or an in-ground sprinkler and allow the grass to go dormant until the weather cools. If you do water, do it right by giving the lawn a nice long soak, say, 30 minutes' worth (or enough to fill a tuna can), at which point it should be good for another month.
- Midsummer is not a good time to reseed or refurbish your lawn. Wait until temperatures cool.
Check the lawn and garden stores for sales if you're looking for a new mower. There are some good choices available—more than 60 push, self-propelled and riding mowers made our list of top mower picks.
Via: How to make summer lawn care less of a chore
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