Lawn Maintenance in Hot August Heat

August often brings high temperatures and sparse precipitation, leaving homeowners wondering how to best care for their lawn. Here are some tips to keep your lawn healthy throughout the season.

Reduce lawn maintenance–for now

Help your lawn beat the heat and make sure your mower is on the highest setting. This will help evenly distribute the moisture it receives and slow the spread of disease (and maybe allow you an extra hour or two on the lake!). Since August is typically a hot, dry month, you may notice browning in some areas, which is natural. Established grass is able to survive during a mild drought and can quickly rebound when moisture levels stabilize.

Review your sod options

Sod can be installed in August however, homeowners will need to be very diligent on watering, doing so at least once or twice a day for 8 days. After 8 days, the grass will tell you if it needs water by appearing bluish in color. If you have the opportunity, lay sod on a cool, overcast day to minimize plant stress. Stagger rolls in a brick-like pattern and place seams together without overlapping. Moisten the soil to a depth of 4 inches or until you can lift the sod and see that the water has penetrated through and saturated the ground underneath. After 8-10 days gently tug at the sod, if you feel a little resistance, then you know the roots are starting to anchor in the soil and it is safe to mow. Mowing stimulates root growth; therefore, you want to mow around the 10 day mark.

To learn more about sod, summer lawn care, and the products that B&B Hoffman Sod Farms offers, visit us online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.

How to Get your Lawn Back in Shape Before Summer’s Outdoor Events

Spring is a great time to get your lawn back in shape after the harsh winter and get it ready for summer events including graduation parties, weddings, BBQs and family reunions.

Using a good fertilizer with a weed and feed (dandelions are here!) is a great place to start repairing the damage from winter. B&B Hoffman Sod Farms in Elk River sells bags of weed and feed fertilizer. If you have some particularly bad spots, you can pick up a few rolls of sod while you’re there for an “instant fix.”

Other things to do in the spring include raking to remove thatch and leaves to get air to the lawn. If your lawn has a lot of traffic, you’ll want to watch for compaction. If your soil is compacted, it will have less room to hold the air and water that keep it healthy. This makes it harder for the roots to penetrate the soil and harder for fertilizers to be absorbed into the soil.

To treat a compacted lawn, aerate the soil at the beginning of the growing season. Aerating will cause there to be larger spaces in the soil and allow more oxygen, fertilizer, nutrients and water to penetrate. The day before you plan to aerate, water the lawn thoroughly to make the process easier. Small lawns can be aerated with special sandals with spikes attached to the bottom that aerate the lawn as you walk around. Larger lawns may require a petrol-powered core aerator, which can be rented.

Following these spring lawn-care tips can help get your yard in perfect shape before summer’s outdoor events. To learn more about spring lawn care and the products that B&B Hoffman Sod Farms offers, visit them online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.