The heat of June is about to start cranking up and that means it's time to topdress and aerate your warm season lawn! Topdressing and aerating will really perk up a struggling lawn, but it's good for all lawns. Hop to the "Aerating" section to learn more about this technique.
Do you have a bumpy lawn and want to make it look better? We created a product just for that - called Level Mix. It's a blend of sand and Soil³ compost to fill in the holes, divots, low areas, or sections that have been damaged by vehicle tires or utility work.
💦 How to Care for Lawns in the Heat
Warm season grasses are made for hot summers. These grasses, such as Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia, are from hot climates in Asia and Africa. They can withstand the baking heat of the Deep South, no problem.
It’s not soaring heat that causes warm season lawns to struggle, it’s lack of water. In fact, if you’re watering correctly, you shouldn’t see any signs of heat stress in your warm season lawn.
Armed with the tips in the link below, we encourage you to become a student of your lawn and learn the way of the sprinkler.
🌳 How to Lay Sod Around Trees
A question we often get is, "How close to the trees can we plant grass?" The answer is complicated and technical, so we break it down in our article on How to Lay Sod Around Trees.
Fertilizing Tips
- Our Total Lawn Food 16-4-8 + Iron is what you want for Zoysia lawns and Bermuda lawns. Order fertilizer for pick up or delivery or check out our Lawn Coach subscription.
Read the Best Times to Apply Fertilizer >> - Your TifBlair Centipede should be fertilized with very little fertilizer. We have our own special formulation just for it with lower nitrogen: Centipede Formulation 5-10-30 + Iron. Order 5-10-30 for pick up or delivery or check out our Lawn Coach subscription.
Read Fertilizer Tips for Your Centipede Lawn >>
Aerating Tips
- Use a core aerator, then topdress with Soil³ compost to add nutrition and improve the soil.
- Topdressing with Soil³ can take the place of one fertilizer application.
- If you have a new lawn, don't aerate until it's fully rooted - we recommend waiting until it's had at least one growing season to establish.
Read How to Aerate Your Lawn >>
Weeding Tips
- The window for pre-emergent herbicide has closed and we're now in the season of post-emergent herbicide in warm season lawns: You can apply post-emergent liquid herbicides like Quincept and 3-Way Max for weeds you can see now in established lawns. Read the label and follow instructions.
👍 Rule of Thumb: It's okay to apply a post-emergent liquid herbicide labeled for warm season lawns (Quincept and 3-Way Max) after you've mowed your new lawn 3 to 4 times. - Pulling by Hand: When you see a few weeds, just pull them up. Sometimes a hand trowel is helpful to get them up by their roots.
- Mowing: Mow those weeds down before they go to seed. Most winter weeds are going to seed & summer weeds are sprouting so get out there with your mower today! Mowing is an effective way to suppress weeds because it cuts off flower/seed heads and that stops weeds from making more weeds, thus breaking the life cycle. If you have bad weeds, mow on a weekly routine and don't let the weeds get ahead of you.
- Mulch suppresses weed seeds in flower beds. Spread your favorite mulch 2-4" thick and keep it 1-2" away from touching the trunks or stems of your plants.
- Creeping Charlie will creep from your flower beds and take over your lawn. Read up on this common garden plant that readily becomes a lawn weed: May Weed of the Month: Creeping Charlie
Creeping Charlie is a pretty groundcover for shade - and it will form a dense patch in shady, moist lawns too!
Mowing Tips
After watering, mowing is the most important thing you can do for your lawn. Read André's blog where he'll teach you the 7 Tips to Mow Your Lawn Like a Super-Sod Boss.
Here are your specific Bermuda, Zoysia, and Centipede mowing tips for June:
- Mowing New Sod: Did you lay new sod? Our saying is to "mow as soon as there is something to mow." In fact, mowing will promote growth! So don't be timid. Mow it! Read: How Soon Should I Cut My Grass?
- Mowing Height: There is a healthy range for each type of lawn. Do you know the best height for your lawn? Look them up at: Summer Mowing for Warm Season Grasses
- You'll see robotic lawn mowers working behind André in his video because they make such a big difference in lawn quality and in personal lifestyle (more free time!). Read more of the reasons why we love robotic mowers.
Come back next month for July's Lawn Tips for Warm Season lawns!
If you have a Tall Fescue lawn (the best cool season lawn for the Southeast), check out our June Lawn Tips for Tall Fescue lawns.
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