How do I keep my lawn green in the summer?

If you have a lawn, you want to make it greener. If you live in an area like we do (Idaho), it’s also very hard to get the right type of grass for your lawn. There are three varieties of grass: Cool-season (northern part of the US and Canada), Warm-season (southern-most states), and transition zone (hardiness zones 6-7).

So, once you have the variety you should, making sure you water properly is incredibly important. You want to make sure you water in the morning – not the afternoon- so you don’t lose water through evaporation. Make sure you water until you have moisture 6-8 inches down. Otherwise, your grass’ roots (heh) will be too short and won’t be resistant to drought.

There is also evidence to show your grass height correlates to root depth. So basically, if you cut your grass too short, the roots will be too shallow and not resistant to drought. It’s best when you mow to only cut about 1/4 inch off the top. The other negative to having too short of grass is it will allow enough sunlight for weeds to take hold. On the other hand, if it’s too long, it begins to thin out and kind of look like prairie grass.

When grass is cut (most plants do this, actually), the plant will put more energy into spreading out and you’ll get a more thick, lush looking lawn. But, of course, you can’t just mow your way to a healthy lawn.  Sorry!

So nutrients – We love our Lawn Mix – it’s got quickly available nitrogen, which is awesome for a green lawn. The dry analysis is about 30-10-10, with 12% calcium and 5% sulfur. Extreme Blend, of course, is great for any growth promotion as well.

But what about weeds? Is there a way to get rid of them without using chemical fertilizers? Well, yep. Vinegar is a great way to kill weeds, although you have to be careful because it will kill your grass, too. Just make sure when you are going after the dreaded dandelion (dun dun duuuuuuuuuhn), that you pull the dandelion (get as much of the taproot as you can), and spray the vinegar solution as well.

You may have to do this a few times as dandelions roots can go as deep as 10 inches and will regrow if there is any viable root. Another valuable piece of advise is to get the dandelions in the fall if possible. They are not as strong over the winter and if you weaken them enough, you can get quite a few of them for good.

LAWN MIX EXTREME BLEND