How to grow green grass in the HOT summer months

[KYCruiseCrazy]

I have grass (it's tall and gren) I have tons of clover and this spring I had tons of Dandelions this year. What do I do to help keep the weeds away? I have a mulching lawn mower that is kept high on the height.

I have done some seeding this spring and want to get ride of most of the clover (keep the rabbits out of my garden) LOL I live in Ky when it's hot and humid in the summer (this year it's REALLY hot) We have got in the past week over 2" of rain.

I'm just wondering other then watering daily(the bill) what type of grass is drought resistant. I would like to have the grass looking like it does at WDW Help me?

When are the best time of day to mow the lawn? Thanks for your help!!

I know this post will be moved. Sorry I don't know where to post.

 

[jstarcze]

Watering daily in this hot weather is a must, but timing is important too. If you water when the sun is high in the sky the water drops act as a magnifying glass and burn the grass. Our church has good luck this spring with a weed and feed to get the weeds out of the lawn. I don't know which one they used though

 

[roxmic]

Hi! As a landscaper in upstate SC, i understand your problem. First, water, There are two routes you could go with water. 1. water about a tenth of an inch six days a week. or 2. water about a quarter inch every other day. Ultimately, you will want a minimum of about 1 inch per week. two would be ideal...but costly! pros and cons for the two methods- #1 will give the best results BUT it will only work well if you plan on watering on this schedule from now on. #2 works well too, the idea being deeper less frequent water will stimulate deeper root growth resulting in better drought resistence. You didn't mention what type of grass you have, but i suspect you have a fescue or bluegrass in KY. Keep in mind both of these grasses are classified as "cool season" and extreme heat WILL take a toll on it. Disney extensivley uses St Augustine and Bermudagrass which is classified as "warm season". this means it will thrive in the FL heat. The best time to water is 2-8 am. a close second is near dusk.
Now for the weeds. The simplest way for you to get rid of weeds is the use of a weed and feed fertilizer. Now, try very stongly to resist the urge to skimp and buy the cheapest thing on the shelf. fertilizers have a REALLY wide quality gap. a quality fertilzer IS worth the cost in the long run. They also have more regulated mixtures of herbicide to kill the weeds. I think you would be safe with scotts or sta-green from Home Depot. Bayer products are also pretty good. Make sure it says on the bag it will control weeds. For cool season grasses, the best time to apply these weed and feed products will be spring and fall, NOT SUMMER. if applied during the summer it will cause a great deal of stress on your lawn.
Important note--When you apply these products, you must make sure the grass is wet so the product will stick to the vegitation.
Alternativley, you could procure herbicidal sprays that will control weeds. unfortunatly, there are way to many products to go into great detail on which is better. Home depot sells several products from Bayer that will do well.
You are correct to mow the grass as high as you find astectically pleasing. this will also help with weed control as well as encourage deeper roots.
I hope this helps.
good luck!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I have grass (it's tall and green)

You have GREEN grass? If it is green... Don't cut it until you have a good rain.

In my yard even the leafy weeds are brown now. Good grief... I just looked up at my weather station display and it is 105 outside.

And yes, it will be interesting to see where this thread gets transported to.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Yes very very green. I'll post a photo here and a few!!

 

[Chuck S]

This thread is being moved to the Community Board, since there is no gardeners forum.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Here is what my lawn looks like. I know I've got to make baby steps. Keep it cut high. But, why is the grass by the tree dead? This is a Clover area on the lawn.

Here is what the side yard looks like.[/B]

Here by the tree you see the brown in the grass. This is the Clover heavy area.

As you can see, I have mainly 3 types of grass. What is what?

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Didn't last long. Thanks for the move!!

 

[Silent1CB]

We HAD green grass until about 3 wks ago. Then it got HOT and no rain for weeks. We have a watering ban now. No watering of grass at all. You will be fined. Gardens can be watered by hand device only (hose or watering can - no sprinklers) and only every other day between 6pm & 9pm.

Everyones grass is burnt & brown. Totally brown. Not patches. At this point I don't even care about the garden. Its not going to bloom. It will just grow back next year.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

We HAD green grass until about 3 wks ago. Then it got HOT and no rain for weeks. We have a watering ban now. No watering of grass at all. You will be fined. Gardens can be watered by hand device only (hose or watering can - no sprinklers) and only every other day between 6pm & 9pm.

Everyones grass is burnt & brown. Totally brown. Not patches. At this point I don't even care about the garden. Its not going to bloom. It will just grow back next year.

Where is this at? 3 weeks ago we were looking at dry hot conditions. Then a few days of off and on again rain hit.

 

[DawnCt1]

When the grass turns brown in the summer, it isn't dead, its dormant. When the cooler nights and a few rainy days recur, it will green up. We had landscaping done, cooperative weather, plenty of watering, but, any ground that is disturbed after the pre emergent goes down that prevents crab grass allows weeds and yes, crab grass to grow. Our new growth is full of it. You can't put pre emergent down over grass seed because it won't germinate. Its just a fact of planting grass in the summer. When fall arrives, the crab grass with die out and we will overseed the bare areas. By next spring it is all be grass.....again.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Our front yard is still looking nice and green. The husband waters it about 2-3 times a week, and nature assists as well. We fertilize in the spring, and in the fall, and overseed in the spring.

Our backyard was a mess this spring... we got hardly any grass. Now, however, it's LUSH with crabgrass and just about every other weed in Michigan, thanks to our neighbors grass!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Our front yard is still looking nice and green. The husband waters it about 2-3 times a week, and nature assists as well. We fertilize in the spring, and in the fall, and overseed in the spring.

Our backyard was a mess this spring... we got hardly any grass. Now, however, it's LUSH with crabgrass and just about every other weed in Michigan, thanks to our neighbors grass!

I know the feeling about surrounding neighbors. Most around me keep it short. Thinking about holding off mowing til Sunday in hopes of rain. or at least overcast.

What is the best way to get rid of Clover? What do people use on there lawns? Any photo's? What product's? Thanks again

 

[lizbaby007]

I'm gonna guess the dog in the photo is the culprit of your brown grass around the tree. He/She has been doing a bit of "watering" of their own kind

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

I'm gonna guess the dog in the photo is the culprit of your brown grass around the tree. He/She has been doing a bit of "watering" of their own kind

What dog in what photo? We have 2 cats and they are indoor cats!!

 

[NewDCLGuy]

Have you considered NOT spending the time effort and money to try for a perfectly manicured lawn? Unless you plan to golf on it, does it need to be perfect?

 

[Silent1CB]

Have you considered NOT spending the time effort and money to try for a perfectly manicured lawn? Unless you plan to golf on it, does it need to be perfect?

I'm in MA, with the watering ban. Its just our little area that seems to keep missing the rain. Other towns in the state have green grass.

The watering ban states "let nature dictate the color of your lawn". So we are.

Fortunately, we don't tend to have immaculate well manicured lawns around here. Its rural. People cut the grass & that's about it.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Have you considered NOT spending the time effort and money to try for a perfectly manicured lawn? Unless you plan to golf on it, does it need to be perfect?

Not going for "prefect". I'm just wanting a very nice grass.

Anyone out there use lime or sulfur on their grass? What is best (other then water and rain to make my yard look better? Thanks for anymore tips!!

 

[golfgal]

The thicker bladed grass is crab grass. Our lawn guy says to water once/week and soak the lawn well, keep the grass long and DON'T mow midday or when it is really hot. Water in the early morning only. If you start a grass treatment program it will take care of the weeds and thicken up your grass. We have a guy come do our lawn, he comes 4 times/year-generally in our area it is around Memorial Day, 4th of July, mid-August and Labor Day. We have him aerate the lawn at least once/year.

The REAL key is to NOT water too often because you don't allow the roots a chance to grow deep.