This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

4 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Lawn Healthy All Season Long

The weather has certainly been tougher than normal on Michigan lawns this summer. Here are a few tips to help you keep things green and growing.

1. Do Not Cut it Too Low

Even though it might be tempting to try to manicure your lawn to look like a putting green, that is not the best height for most lawn grasses. According the MSU Extension service, most types of grass in Michigan should be two to three inches tall at all times. They also recommend trimming off no more than 1/3 of the blade when mowing. This takes off enough of the old part of the grass, while leaving enough to create new growth and shade the roots.

2. Leave at least some grass clippings on the lawn

Find out what's happening in Macomb Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Many people believe that leaving grass clippings on the lawn is a bad thing to do. In most cases though, the opposite is true. As long as the clippings are small, like the kind most mulching blades produce, it’s actually a good thing to let them decompose naturally. A healthy lawn needs a variety of nutrients including nitrogen and decomposed clippings help return nitrogen to the soil. In addition, when the soil gets nutrients this way, you don’t have to add as much fertilizer (which can also save money).

3. Test Your Soil

Find out what's happening in Macomb Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As we just mentioned, good soil that provides the right nutrients is the foundation of a healthy lawn. If the soil is “unhealthy” your grass will be too. If you haven’t tested your soil for a few years and you’re having trouble with your grass or other plants, consider testing now and in the spring to give you a picture of your lawn’s overall health. From there it is easier to plan for fertilization, aeration, seeding, etc.

4. Water Appropriately

Obviously, more than anything, your lawn needs water in order to stay green. If you are helping out Mother Nature and supplying at least some of that water, you need to make sure you set up and follow a watering plan. Why? Because it is highly unlikely that the same amount of water will work for every area of your landscaping.  

For example, some areas may get a lot of sun and others mostly shade. Each of these zones will dry out at different rates which means each should get different amounts of water. Treating them the same can cause dry patches, over-watering or even flooding which is definitely not good for any plant.

Ultimately, careful planning is the best way to make sure your whole yard stays healthy and green all summer long. If you aren’t sure about what your lawn needs, there are lots of experts willing to help.

My Sprinkler Guys is a full service irrigation company located in the Macomb/Chesterfield Township area. We offer new installations, repairs and maintenance of existing sprinkler systems. If you need service or more information, please contact us at 586-477-4243 or visit www.mysprinklerguys.com

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?