5 Things You Should be doing for Summer Lawn Survival

Times can get a little hectic in the summer. Lots of things on your mind with summer vacations, holidays and kids out of school. Don't forget about the hard work you put into the lawn this spring, so here are 5 reminders to ensure your lawn's summer survival.

1. Summer weed pressure. Now is the time those ugly summer weeds will move into the lawn. Walk around your lawn and identify your weeds to determine your mode of control. Dandelions, clover, maple and elm sprouts along with other broadleaf weeds can be controlled with spot spraying using Speedzone or a granular application of Loveland Weed and Feed. If your lawn has a mix of broadleaf weeds and crabgrass, Uncle’s Q-bomb will control both weed types in one simple spray solution. Summer time is also the season for nutgrass invasions. Typically showing up in areas with poor drainage, nutgrass or yellow nutsedge can be a little more difficult to control. Uncle’s Nut Buster will control nutgrass. Nutgrass is a little slower to react while Nut Buster is being absorbed deep into the nutlets. Nutgrass tops will start to yellow and fade in 7-10 days.

2. Summer lawn food. If it’s been more than a month since you fed the lawn, it may be time to give it a little summer boost. Uncle's Green Love  the ideal summer lawn fertilizer. Slow release formula containing iron, will not burn plants, and will green up your lawn fast and not make it grow six inches a week. Providing iron will keep grass deep dark green for a long time. Green Love contains organically complex iron and won't discolor concrete.

3. Summer Critter Gitters. Summer is for more family time on the patio and in the yard. Control chiggers, ticks, fleas and ants using liquid Cyanora around the lawn and spraying up onto the house will help to control a broad spectrum of biting insects. If you have butterfly gardens nearby, use granular Critter Gitter on the lawn and water it in. This will help to prevent any overspray into the flower bed because not all bugs are bad. 

July is also the time to apply Long Lasting Grub Control into the lawn. Absorbed by the roots of the grass plant, Long Lasting Grub Control will protect your lawn from damaging white grubs during their hatch this fall. Mama and Papa June bug are making babies now and soon those eggs will hatch into hungry baby grubs. Baby grubs are voracious and feed on yummy grass roots.

4. Summer Turf Fungus. Frequent night time rains and high humidity this summer create ideal situations for brown patch and other turf diseases. Early application of Fungus Fighter is your best defense against disease, but sometimes it gets missed and you will need a curative application. Fungus Fighter will not turn a brown lawn green, but it will keep the disease in check, preventing it from spreading. Remember, you will need to reapply Fungus Fighter about every 21-28 days to maintain control. 

5. Shade Grass. In those established lawns with heavy shade, summer months are the time to deep water those areas. Big trees will use up much-needed water from your soil, leaving less water for your grass. Re-seeding shaded areas with additional Premium Shade Mix will help fight weed pressure.

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Excessive Spring Rains Bring Crabgrass and Nutgrass

Every year a lawn maintenance program needs a little adjustment. Some years are too dry; some years are too wet. This year has been just plain soggy. Spring grass plants are lush and green, and lawn mowers are working overtime. Ducks and crawdads like this sort of weather, but once summer weather heats up there will be a price to pay. Excessive spring rains will bring two very predictable summer problems: crabgrass and nutgrass.

Crabgrass Booster Shot
Annual summertime grass weeds like crabgrass, goosegrass and foxtail will sprout aggressively in water logged soils. The same May rains that made lawns so nice and green in the spring will break down the effectiveness of early spring crabgrass preventers. Areas around driveways, sidewalks and patios are particularly prone to this problem. Concrete surfaces absorb and intensifies summer heat and make a natural incubator for hot weather weeds along its edges.

Related: Uncle's Idiot Proof Lawn Care Program

Heavy rain dilutes the crabgrass pre-emergence barrier applied in early spring. Then, the first week of hot June weather prompts weeds like crabgrass and foxtail to sprout and begin their annual invasion of green summer lawns. Step #3 PREVENT!, crabgrass preventer, applied in late May to early June provides a booster shot to extend weed control and prevent crabgrass all summer long.

Gardens and flower beds have the same problem. Well tended beds fall victim to an invasion of aggressive summertime weeds. Garden weed preventers applied in early spring are simply overwhelmed by extreme spring rains. For best results, three booster applications spaced six to eight weeks apart will keep gardens and landscape beds clean all summer long.

Related: Uncle's Q-Bomb Post Emergent Crabgrass Control

Nutgrass Control
Nutgrass is a common problem in summer lawns, even after an average spring. Nutgrass is not controlled by crabgrass pre-emergence. Nutgrass plants can regenerate from small nutlets formed on their root system under the soil surface. These nutlets go unharmed by pre-emergent and traditional contact weed controls, making nutsedge difficult to control.

Nutgrass or nutsedge has triangular stems with leaves that branch out in three different directions. Light green to yellow in color, nutsedge grows quickly in spring and summer, outgrowing grass in just a couple of days after mowing.

Uncle's Nut Buster, when used with Spreader Sticker, is the most effective control for nutgrass in the home lawn. Spreader Sticker, a non-ionic surfactant, holds the herbicide to the waxy leaf of the nutgrass. Be patient and allow the herbicide to stay on the nutgrass leaf 48 hours before mowing or watering. Give the plant plenty of time to draw Uncle's Nut Buster deep into the root system and translocate into the nutlet for best control.


Timing is everything, and early control is best. Nutgrass plants allowed to mature will stress when treated, stimulating more nutlets to sprout. However; be persistent and continue to spray the new plants as they emerge, and you will be victorious. Avoid pulling the nutgrass plant by hand. Pulling nutgrass will stress the plant and stimulate even more nutlets to sprout.

See Also: Fungus Fighter Turf Disease Control