Summers in northeastern Tennessee are challenging times for those who love cultivating plants and maintaining a lush, green lawn. Rising temperatures means plants will wither if they aren’t regularly watered. Even worse, weeds flourish in dry weather and greedily absorb any extra water in the soil. There’s also the chance that some communities may impose restrictions on water use if a drought occurs, making it ever more difficult to enjoy a beautiful, healthy lawn.
10 great summer lawn care tips Tennessee residents can use
Promier Landscapes, the lawn care professionals Kingsport TN home and business owners depend on for superior lawn care, hopes these tips help keep your lawn and garden weed-free, disease-free and thriving throughout the summer:
1. Pay extra attention to “at-risk”plants sensitive to dry, hot weather. These include newly planted shrubs, trees and perennials, flower beds and plants that require full sunlight.
2. Evaluate plants and grass for early signs of withering due to dehydration. Signs of dehydration are:
- Yellowish and/or translucent leaves
- Edge curling of leaves and grass blades
- Bluish-green tint to foliage
- Blossoms dropping prematurely
- Brown leaf edges
- Slowed growth
3. Water lawns and gardens early in the morning to minimize evaporation. You could do your watering in the evening at dusk but nighttime cooling promotes development of fungal plant diseases on moist, cool plants.
4. Drench your lawn and garden so you don’t have to water so frequently. Since roots love water, they’ll naturally grow downward when the soil is saturated. Barely watering your grass and plants force roots to seek water at the top of the soil, leaving them vulnerable to the hot Tennessee sun.
5. A good rule of thumb to remember when watering is to use one gallon of water per one foot of a root zone once every five or six days (unless rain is plentiful). Amount of water and watering schedule may vary depending on grass and plant types. Be aware that sandy soils need re-watering sooner than clay soils.
6. Avoid overhead sprinkling devices when possible. The most efficient watering devices are drip hoses, small sprinklers and slow soakers because of their ability to apportion water near the ground, reach root zones and eliminate wasteful run-off.
7. Footprint impressions that remain in the grass means your lawn probably needs watering. Take a handful of soil and squeeze it. If the soil holds its shape, your lawn does not need watering.
8. Lawns should be aerated once a year to reduce weed growth, minimize problems with run-off and improve the ability of soil to absorb water.
9. During hot, dry spells, spray outdoor plants with water once a day to prevent development of a spider mite infestation.
10. Weed your yard and garden as needed. Weeds will stress neighboring plants by gobbling up nutrients in the soil and soaking up all available moisture.
It’s takes a lot of time and labor to maintain your lawn and landscape plants when you would rather be doing fun summer things with family and friends. Why not let the experts at Promier Landscapes do all the work so that you can enjoy the summer and also take delight in having the most gorgeous yard in your neighborhood.