Skip to main content

Turn your grass into blades of glory with these summer lawn care tips and tricks

People may think of summer as a time for grilling, but the hot weather comes with work, too. Individuals spend nearly 70 hours a year maintaining their lawns and gardens. As most homeowners can attest, grass can be finicky and the warm, arid days of summer may stress a lawn. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy ways to support a healthy yard during the warmer months. Here are a few summer lawn care tips to help your yard beat the heat.

Don’t over-mow

Recommended Videos

When it comes to lawn care, one of the biggest mistakes individuals make is over-mowing. Many people unwittingly cut their grass far too short with each mow. While this means you may be able to cut the grass less frequently, it certainly will not benefit your lawn. With each mow, you should only clip about one third of the grass blade.

Cutting more than this can create an unhealthy buildup of clippings that take longer to decompose and also stunt growth rates. Allowing your grass to grow longer encourages root growth, enabling the system to reach water deeper in the soil. With this in mind, adjust the height of your blades with each mowing to ensure the proper cut. If you’re in the market for a new lawnmower, these robotic options make it exceedingly easy to clip the right amount of grass at regular intervals.

Keep your blades sharp

While sharp mower blades cleanly slash through grass with each stroke, dull blades have a tendency to shred grass unevenly. “A dull mower blade will shred grass blades, resulting in a poor quality of cut and potentially creating entryways for disease,” according to the John Deere lawn care experts. With this in mind, it is paramount use sharp blades when you mow. Manufacturers recommend sharpening your blades after about 10 hours of use.

summer lawn care tips
123RF/ninamalyna

Timing is key

Regular watering is crucial to maintaining a healthy lawn, and it’s best to water lawns in the early morning. (Before 10 a.m. is ideal, say John Deere’s experts.) This will prevent your grass from being damp for an extended period of time and also ensure the bulk of the moisture isn’t immediately evaporated. Watering later in the evening should be avoided if possible. Grass left wet overnight can encourage fungal disease growth. You should water your lawn long enough to allow moisture to sink six inches into the soil. Needless to say, you’re probably over-watering your lawn, and there are apps to help you monitor this as well.

Don’t over-fertilize

Maintaining a healthy lawn is all about balance. While fertilizing your lawn is an easy way to add nutrients to the soil, over-fertilizing can “burn” your yard. The ideal amount of fertilizer to use varies for each grass type. When it comes to nitrogen fertilizers, it is recommended to use about one pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turf. Lowe’s has created a helpful fertilizer calculator to help you determine how much fertilizer to purchase for each treatment.

Mix it up

From the weight of the bulky lawnmower cruising along the surface to the accumulation of excessive clippings, the act of mowing itself may be a detrimental to lawn health. Try to vary the mowing pattern with each cut to reduce wear on the turf. You should also choose an efficient pattern to minimize your literal and metaphorical footprint.

Dallon Adams
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Dallon Adams is a graduate of the University of Louisville and currently lives in Portland, OR. In his free time, Dallon…
Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite: which is the better smart lock?
A person opening the Yale Assure Lock 2 with their Apple Watch.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 and Lockly Vision Elite are among the best smart locks on the market. One offers a streamlined design and multiple formats, while the other is packed with features that make it an all-in-one powerhouse. Rest assured -- you can’t go wrong choosing either product. But there are some big differences between the two, and one is likely a better fit for your preferences than the other.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite. From pricing and design to installation and notable features, we’ll cover everything you need to know before making a purchase.

Read more
Unlock $618 savings on the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra
Couple relaxing while robot pool cleaner works

Owning a pool is fantastic, but maintaining it? Not so much. Between random yard debris, birds using it as a bath, and whatever mystery gunk floats on top after a storm, it’s a lot. That’s where Beatbot’s AquaSense 2 Ultra steps in and right now, it’s stepping in with a hefty $618 discount.
From April 14 through April 27 you can snag the world’s first AI-powered 5-in-1 robotic pool cleaner or their Amazon store. That’s not a typo, that’s next-level pool tech at a next-level price.
Why the AquaSense 2 Ultra isn’t just another robot in the pool
This isn’t your average robotic cleaner that aimlessly bounces around like a cheap robot vacuum with no sense of direction. The AquaSense 2 Ultra is smarter. Like "I’ve-got-this-go-enjoy-your-margarita" smart.

Powered by cutting-edge AI and precision path-planning, it cleans your pool like a seasoned pro:

Read more
Get this Samsung smart washer-dryer combo while it’s $600 off
The Samsung 5.3 cu. ft. All-in-One Vented Washer Dryer Combo in the laundry room.

If you're thinking of upgrading your laundry room with washer and dryer deals, you might as well make a serious investment for the convenience of your family. We highly recommend going for the Samsung 5.3 cu. ft. All-in-One Vented Washer Dryer Combo, which is on sale with a $600 discount from Samsung itself. You'll only have to pay $2,499 for this smart home appliance instead of $3,099, but you're going to have to hurry with your purchase -- you wouldn't want to miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Samsung 5.3 cu. ft. All-in-One Vented Washer Dryer Combo

Read more