Sizzling July and August temperatures can be hard on lawns and gardens — it's a fact.
Routine maintenance and thoughtful preparation now will help your landscaping look its best through the dog days of summer and beyond.
Some tips:
* Fertilize your lawn. Choose a fertilizer that's formulated for summer feeding and appropriate for your region and soil content. If you fertilized in the spring, wait to fertilize again until about two months have passed.
* Mow regularly — but conservatively. During the growing season, mow about once a week to encourage growth and keep your lawn looking lush, and make sure to adjust your mower height to leave the grass a little taller. This reduces water evaporation from the soil and discourages weed growth.
* Clean up after Fido. Regularly flush the areas where your dog urinates with water, and pick up droppings regularly — the acid content from your dog's high-protein diet can kill your grass.
* Water grass infrequently and deeply, and do it early in the morning or in the evening. Most lawns need about an inch or an inch and a half of water each week. Gardens should also be watered slowly and deeply in the morning. Avoid watering when the sun is directly overhead.
* Use light-colored mulch. This reflects sunlight to keep the surface of the soil cooler, while darker mulch can absorb heat.
* Block the sun with taller shade-providing plants and shrubs. Tall ornamental grasses and shrubs can shield smaller plants from the sun and look great with your landscaping.
* Try shade cloth.; If taller plants aren't an option where you are, shade cloth can offer some protection — make sure to position it loosely over plants without totally enclosing or crushing them.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
