Work on the lawn in August: prepare it for the arrival of autumn

Summer maintenance of the lawn

The maintenance of the lawn is an extremely important phase in order to have a good looking and healthy turf. In particular, you must pay close attention to the care of your lawn during the summer season: in fact, it is in this period that you see the result of the work carried out during the spring and the previous winter. At the same time, the scarcity of atmospheric precipitation and high temperatures can cause the grass to turn yellow: in this way there is a lawn of scarce quality. This drawback is partially obviated by opting for heat-resistant herbaceous species, such as microthermic gramineae Ryegrass, Festuca and Poa: these plants develop physiological tricks to overcome the hottest periods of summer.

However, it is necessary to carry out care and maintenance interventions in order to present the lawn in the best possible way. Particularly, it is necessary to make cuts and add nutrients and water, taking into account the type of soil, the existence or not of an irrigation system and the type of plants.

Chores to be done in August

While in the first periods of the summer the lawn has thickened and strengthened both from the point of view of the roots and from that of the grass thanks to the ideal conditions of development, in the month of August the maintenance and management difficulties are greater.

Growth up to now has been healthy, regular and vigorous, however in the height of summer there is a greater scarcity of water and an increase in temperatures. Precisely this situation causes a greater demand for irrigation to keep the lawn in good health.

For this reason it is necessary to carry out maintenance interventions on the turf every week and pay close attention to its state of health, so as to immediately catch the first signs of future problems. The first warning sign is represented by the yellowing of the grass : this is a problem caused by the fact that the plants have superficial roots, they dry up easily and cannot access the water in depth. As a result, the grass absorbs only a small amount of water very quickly. For this reason, in the warmer months it is necessary to carry out regular watering , spaced in time and abundant . Furthermore, if you live in an area characterized by cold and early winters, it is possible to sow the lawn already in the last weeks of August.

This operation can concern both a turf to be created from scratch and the thickening of an existing one.

In any case it is necessary to prepare the soil carefully and carefully, so that there are no roughness, stones or roots.

Removal of weeds

If you don't have to restore the turf, you need to prepare the lawn for autumn in August.

First of all, this is the ideal period to eliminate weeds , which appear more frequently and abundantly in the height of summer. It is necessary to eliminate all the weeds manually, so as not to leave out even the smallest ones. In fact, they take away nutrients, water and light from the grass and suffocate it as they develop more quickly. In particular, it must be kept in mind that in August the growth of weeds is more rapid than ever , as they are equipped with a considerable root system; at the same time, due to the high temperatures, the rind suffers more.

For this reason, you have to cut the grass less often. To remove the weeds from the lawn, it is necessary to first make a regular cut, and then remove even the slightest debris with a rake. The operation must be done in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction.

In fact, the felt, that is the residues of the cutting of the grass, prevents the absorption of water by the turf. Plant transpiration is also compromised in a more or less relevant manner. As a result, the health of the lawn suffers from it: to avoid this, all residues must be eliminated and exchanges between air and soil must be favored. Once the height of the turf has been adjusted, weeding is carried out: the operation is repeated once a week and it is necessary to use a knife or an awl to remove even the deepest roots. It is advisable to protect your hands with sturdy gloves.