How to get a better yard step 4: apply Summer Lawn Food - plus a few July lawn tips
If you're following the Earl May 6-step lawn program with me, now is the time to apply the next step in your lawn program - Summer Lawn Food. This week is forecasted to have cooler temperatures and the possibility of rain so it's the perfect time to get it on your grass. If you have been watering and kept your yard alive so far this summer, this will really give your grass that deep green color.
Why use this fertilizer? First off, it's specifically made for Iowa soil conditions. It contains iron and sulfur to give your grass that dark green uniform color. Iron is what golf courses use before airing tournaments on television to give that extra green look. The potassium helps make the lawn resistance to disease and drought stress. Basically, it helps thicken your yard, which is the key to keeping weeds out.
After you mow, apply this fertilizer by matching up the setting on your spreader - mine called for setting 5. Walk the boarder first and work your way to the middle. To equally spread mine out I try to make a checkerboard.
Once finished be sure to blow off any fertilizer that made it on the concrete. Iron will stain your driveway. Lastly, if rain isn't in the forecast in the next day or so, water your lawn in deep.. You will see results with this grass within a week.
Here are a few other lawn tips for July:
Keep your mower blades sharp. If your grass starts looking like split ends of hair, then you will know the blades are not sharp and the grass won't grow right.
Water deep. Make sure it gets to the roots of the grass. The amount of time needed to water deep will depend on the state of your lawn, but you want to try to get the top 6-8" of soil damp.
Take a few passes through your lawn with your 1-gallon tank sprayer and spray any weeds that come up. Check this blog post for tips and solutions for getting rid of weeds.
Keep your mower deck high. I have my deck at the highest setting. When it's hot, it's good not to cut your lawn too short because the taller blades provide extra shade to keep the weeds out.
Need a Lawn Fix? Here's what we used:
Earl May Summer Lawn Food- 4th step in the Lawn Program (I buy the 6-step but pick the program that is right for you)
Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Deluxe Spreader (affiliate)
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