Summer Lawn Care

Michigan lawns are commonly a mix of Kentucky bluegrass, creeping red fescue and perennial ryegrass. Sodded turf is usually a blend of varieties of Kentucky bluegrass. These grasses are cool-season grasses — they grow best in spring and also in late summer to early fall when days are warm and nights are cool. Spring and fall are times of growth for blades and roots of grass plants and the development of new plants. Simple cultural practices through the summer can aid the grass in surviving the stresses of summer.

Watering lawns in summer

Cool-season turfgrasses often require supplemental watering in the summer to remain green and actively growing. During hot and dry periods, the turf needs light, frequent waterings that add up to 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches of water per week. Grass roots are naturally shorter during hot, dry conditions of summer, and applying too much water at that time can waste water because it simply moves past the root zone of the plants. The best time of the day for watering is morning to early afternoon. Avoid watering in the evening — this extends the time that lawns remain wet through the night, and that can encourage fungus diseases. If summer watering restrictions are in place that ban daytime watering, then apply water to turf between midnight and daybreak.

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This article is originally posted and taken from Michigan State University.