Albuquerque Summer Lawn Care Tips

Summer runs from June to September! Time to take advantage of the sunny weather and spend more time chilling in your yard.

But enjoying all your outdoor fun is way better with a fresh, green lawn underfoot, am I right? Don’t worry, I got you covered.

Follow these 5 easy lawn care tips to get your Albuquerque lawn looking luscious all summer long!

1. Prep Your Lawn Early During the Spring

You must get that lawn prepped in spring if you want it prime for summer – it’s essential!

I know, spring seems far away when it’s sunny and hot right now. But trust me, taking a few hours to show your lawn some TLC in early spring will pay off big time later. Here are some to-do’s:

• Make sure your mower is tuned up and ready to go. Sharpen those blades so your grass gets a nice, clean chop every time. Dull blades tear up the grass – ouch!
• Rake up leaves, sticks, and junk that piled up over winter. Too much stuff blocking sunlight and your grass can’t grow right.
• Peep the lawn for problems early. Catching issues like diseases, bugs, or weeds now prevents bigger headaches when it heats up.
• Poke holes with an aerator in packed down areas. This gives nutrients and water room to get down in the soil.
• Sprinkle grass seed where the lawn is looking thin or bare. Full coverage means a fuller lawn for summer.
• Put down a pre-emergent herbicide. This stops sneaky warm weather weeds like crabgrass from ruining your lawn.
• Set the mower height to about 3 inches. Long blades mean stronger roots and less weeds. Let that grass grow, baby!
• Feed your lawn a little fertilizer – just to give it some nutrients without going overboard.

Get those spring tasks done and your lawn will thank you when summertime rolls around!

2. Keep Fertilizing in Summer, But Stay Strategic

Fertilizer is clutch for keeping your lawn green and lush all summer. But you can’t just dump it all willy nilly or you’ll burn the grass! Here’s the scoop on smart summer fertilizing:

• Find fertilizers with time-release nitrogen. This slowly feeds your lawn for 6-8 weeks instead of all at once.
• Apply it every 6-8 weeks to give your grass steady food. Bermuda and zoysia grass down here dig this schedule.
• Read the label and use the right amount! Too much fertilizer torches grass. Follow directions, pal!
• Don’t use weed and feed stuff when it’s hot. The weed killers stress grass out majorly. Stick to regular fertilizer.
• Wait until after mowing to fertilize so you can remove clippings. Never fertilize right before big rains! The water washes the nutrients away. Lame.
• Lightly spray the lawn with water after fertilizing. This helps the nutrients seep down into the soil to the roots.

See? Strategic fertilizing keeps your lawn happy and healthy all summer long!

3. Smart Watering

Our sunny weather dries out lawn soil quick, fast, and in a hurry during summer. I know you want to keep watering a lot to fix it. But hold up! Light, frequent sprinkles only wet the surface. To get grass growing its best, you gotta water deep and infrequent. Here’s how:

• Water early in the morning so the grass blades are dry before night time. This prevents yucky lawn diseases.
• Target droughty spots like along sidewalks and driveways first when watering. They need the moisture!
• Check soil moisture with a screwdriver. If it goes in easy, you don’t need to water. If there’s lots of resistance, it’s thirsty!
• Help roots grow deeper by watering until the soil is wet 4-6 inches down. Measure as needed with a stick!
• Skip watering after big rains. But start watering again in a few dry days. Don’t wait until your grass looks sad and stressed!
• Follow any local watering rules or restrictions. Overwatering during shortages isn’t cool. Save water when you can!

Watering deeply but less often is the ticket to a happy summer lawn. Give it a go!

4. Mow High and Mow Often

I know mowing the lawn is a boring chore. But power through – it actually keeps your grass healthy in summer! Mow high and often when it’s sunny and dry for best results:

• Raise those mower blades up to 3-4 inches. Longer grass blades hold onto moisture better and provide cooling shade to roots.
• Sharpen your mower blades regularly. Ragged cuts make grass blades die at the edges. Boo!
• Never mow wet grass! It just clumps up under the mower and tears right out. Wait until after the morning dew dries.
• Only cut off 1/3 of the blade length each mow session. More than that stresses the grass bad.
• Leave the clippings on the lawn when you mow. They’ll decompose and recycle nutrients back into the soil.
• Mow every 5-7 days to prevent the grass from getting wild and out of control.
• Watch out for scalping in hot spots and adjust your mowing accordingly.

Stick to these mowing guidelines and your lawn will be green as can be all summer long!

5. Keep an Eye Out for Problems

Summer weather brings along some issues that can wreck your beautiful lawn. But don’t stress – just stay on high alert for signs of these problems:

Pesky Insect Invaders

Bugs like chinch bugs and grubs thrive in the heat and chomp on grass roots and blades. Put down insecticide pronto if you spot them. Better yet, treat for grub worms preventatively in early summer before they get huge and hungry!

Icky Diseases

Too much heat and humidity causes fungus diseases like brown patch, dollar spot, or grey leaf spot. Yuck! Mow smart, water early, and pick up clippings to avoid diseases. Treat quickly with fungicide if you notice issues.

Wicked Weeds

Summer weeds like crabgrass and nutsedge sneak into sun-drenched lawns. Pull little weeds as soon as you notice them. For big invasions, use selective herbicide on the trouble spots.

Drought Distress

Letting the lawn dry out too much stresses grass into a sad, straw-like color. Give it a deep drink of water if you step on it and it doesn’t bounce back.

Heat Scalding

Extreme heat actually burns grass blades and turns them brown. Let soil dry between watering and mow high to shade the lawn.

Scope out these problems right away before they ruin your lawn’s summer fun. Don’t be scared to ask for help at the nursery if things get out of control!

Final Thoughts

When the weather cools off, it’s time to transition the lawn from summer mode. Here are some tips:

• Overseed thin spots and bare patches to fill in before winter hits.
• Gradually lower the mowing height back down to 2-2 1/2 inches as temperatures drop.
• Put down a pre-emergent herbicide around Labor Day to stop cool season weeds.
• Test your soil at the extension office and fix anything that’s out of whack.
• Boost winter color and cold tolerance with a nitrogen fertilizer in September/October.
• Ease off watering as growth naturally slows down going into dormancy.
• Remove piled up leaves and junk so the grass can breathe over winter.

There you have it! Follow these simple tips and you’ll be chilling on a lush, beautiful lawn all summer long.