During hot and dry months, watering your lawn or garden might be wasteful if you're doing it incorrectly. Mowing your lawn incorrectly can also hurt your lawn during dry spells.
Maintaining Lawn and Garden During The Summer
- Watering in the morning (before 10 am) is the best time for your lawn. It’s cooler and winds tend to be calmer so water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by the grass roots before it can evaporate.
- Most lawns need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, either from rain or watering, to soak the soil that deeply. That amount of water can either be applied during a single watering or divided into two waterings during the week.
- For a typical residential midwest lawn, maintain a height of 3 inches or higher.
- Taller grass shades out weed seeds and keeps soil cooler.
- Taller grass also means longer roots and greater ability to withstand drought and reach nutrients.
- Remove no more than 1/3 of the leaf tissue when you mow.
- Mowing too short or scalping results in stress to the grass plant. Weak grass plants will take longer to recover. To maintain a 3-inch lawn, mow before the grass reaches 4.5 inches tall.
- Mowing too short can allow weed seeds to get more sun and increase the chance of germination.
For more information, visit the Yard & Garden Maintenance page on the City website.