July Lawn Care Tips

We are now moving into one of the hottest months of the year. This means if your sprinkler system is watering unevenly, you will be seeing some brown spots in your lawn due to drought. It's also approaching peak weed season for summer-annual weeds. Be sure to mow high and get a spray in to help control these tenacious plants.

If you still haven't adjusted your sprinkler system, you will be seeing brown spots this month because of uneven coverage. No system is perfect and needs readjusting at least on an annual basis.

For the most part, a good deep watering (about 10 inches of moist soil), between one and two times a week will be sufficient for your lawn. However, it may be necessary (if your soil is dry) to water more frequently during an especially dry and/or hot spell.

How do I know if my soil is dry?

First, look for a smoky green that doesn't spring back quickly when stepped upon. You can confirm dryness by probing the soil with a screwdriver or a butter knife. If it is relatively hard to push in and moist soil doesn't stick to the probe, it's too dry.

Read more about drought

With hotter weather, it is helpful to mow at the second to the highest setting (2 1/2 to 3 inches long). To insure that you don't remove too much green, mow off only 1/3 of the blade at a time, since most of the green in your lawn is located in the top portion of the blade.

This helps to:

• conserve water
• strengthen the root system
• help crowd out potential weeds

We are approaching the peak of the weed season. Spraying the weeds while they are young is the best time to control them.

In July, your lawn may bear a continually increasing number of annual weeds. The broad-leaf and annual grassy weeds can be sprayed with a selective herbicide. Any existing (perennial) grassy weeds such as orchardgrass would need to be sprayed with a non-selective herbicide such as Roundup and the lawn replanted in that area.

You may start seeing crabgrass in your lawn. If this is the case, as mentioned before, spray your lawn with a good post-emergence herbicide targeted specifically toward crabgrass and other summer-annual grassy weeds.

Contact us and we'll spray your lawn to help you control your crabgrass with no hassle!

• Clover

• Crabgrass

• Dandelions

• Mallow

• Morning Glory

• Orchardgrass

• Thistle

• Violets

• Yarrow

July is one of the peak times for insect activity. These insects are probably Billbugs or Sod Weborm, but may be White Grub or Cranberry Girdler. Recognizing them early on will be very helpful in keeping the problem under control and save your lawn before it gets out of hand.

How do I know if I have an insect problem?

If you see an area of your lawn turning brown, check for insects. Pull on these areas with your whole hand. If insects are at fault, it will pull up like rug and you will see little white larvae on the soil.

How do I solve my insect problem?

To control the problem, apply insecticide directly to the affected areas and check back weekly for improvement. Repeat this until all signs of insect activity are gone. This means that the brown spots have stopped spreading, there is evidence of new growth, and the the larvae are lethargic or dead.

• Billbugs

• Sod Webworm

Helminthosporium, or, "melting out" may be seen in your lawn. It is characterized by a browning of the blade of grass, with purple in the margins between the brown and green areas. To help prevent and treat helminthosporium, aerate to reduce thatch in the early spring, water infrequently and deeply, and mow high.

If you do see signs of helminthosporium, give Turf Plus a call and we'll come out and take care of it for you!