Now that it’s the middle of summer, your lawn has probably experienced a lot of action. Between backyard picnics and frolicking pets to an increase in heat and mowing, your yard could be stressed under all of that traffic. Follow this summer lawn maintenance checklist to give your grass a mid-season refresh.

Summer Lawn Maintenance Checklist

The season is heating up, and your yard could use a vacation by now. There are certain things you can do to not only help your lawn survive but thrive for the remaining days of summer.

1. Raise the mower blades. Cutting your grass too short not only causes stress on your lawn, but it could lead to bald spots—especially in extreme heat. Cutting your grass high relieves some of this stress. Taller grass blades help to shade the soil, protecting it from moisture loss in hot, dry weather.
2. Sharpen mower blades. While you’re adjusting the height, check to make sure the blades are sharp enough. You don’t want to start tearing the grass with dull mower blades this late in the season.
3. Patching bare areas. Sparse areas of the lawn could use some love before weeds take over. Scratch some grass seed into the top of the soil and keep it damp until germination.
4. Take care of any weeds that did spring up with a spot treatment. Try not to use any product for the entire lawn or one that contains fertilizer, as this combination could burn your lawn.
5. Cool-season grasses go dormant this time of year—like a mini vaca to survive the summer heat—so they may look a little brown. Don’t worry about mowing or watering them too much though, they’ll perk back up when it rains.
6. Grub control. Whether you’ve had pest problems in the past or you’re discovering more grubs in your lawn now, it’s best to kill the larvae before they turn into beetles and do even more damage around your yard.
7. Weekly watering. If your lawn looks brown for more than a month, try watering it weekly. A quarter-inch of water should be enough to help the roots survive the season.

If your lawn is still lacking luster, you could be dealing with a lawn disease or pest problem. Contact the lawn care experts at Cardinal Lawns for more information on what to do this summer to properly maintain your lawn.