Protect Your Landscaping from the Heat
Jun 07th 2017
Many homeowners and property owners struggle to maintain their landscaping, lawns and gardens healthy throughout the summer. Florida’s summers can be tough on landscaping due to the hot temperatures, harsh sun and heavy rainstorms. If you are inexperienced at caring for your lawn, your grass can dry out, plants can begin to wilt and in an attempt to preserve your plant life you may do more damage than good.
Summer Landscaping Tips
If you are unsure of how to maintain your landscaping this summer, here are a couple tips. At Evergreen Lawn Care, we specialize in creating and maintaining landscaping Gainesville, FL, residents can count on.
Cutting Grass
During the summer, many people make the mistake of mowing their lawn too short in an attempt to reduce the need for mowing often. However, cutting grass too short can actually damage your lawn and cause your grass to dry out faster. This is because cutting grass too short reduces its ability to produce energy for growth. It also provides less shade for its roots and causes water to evaporate faster from it. When cutting too short, you also risk ripping off chunks of grass with your lawn mower that could create patches in the lawn. When it comes to the summer, it is best to leave grass a little longer than usual. For proper Gainesville lawn care, trust the professionals at Evergreen Lawn Care.
Watering
A mistake many people make during high heats is to overwater their lawn and plants. Even after rainstorms many people still choose to water their lawns. When it comes to your lawn, grasses often do better when they are slightly drier than when the soil is constantly wet. Overwatering can prevent oxygen from reaching plant roots, wash away nutrients and create thriving conditions for disease that could affect your plants. When choosing to water, you should water deeply so it reaches the roots but infrequently. The best time to water is in the mornings as water evaporates faster in the afternoon.
Fertilizing
Many people think that it is a good idea to add fertilizer during the summer to give plant growth a boost. However, stimulating plant growth during the heat can cause the plant to consume much needed energy and in the process damage it instead. The best thing to do is to avoid fertilizer and let your plants grow at a normal rate.
Creating Shade
Shade is a good way to protect plants from the relentless summer sun. In fact, if you plan on planting a garden it is best to choose an area that gets sunlight in the morning but shade later in the day. Planting trees and shrubbery is a good way to protect smaller plants from too much sun and create shade in your landscaping. When planting trees or shrubs, make sure to allow enough space between them and between the house for their roots to grow. Drought resistant trees and shrubs are the best as they retain water well and require less maintenance. If you notice that plants are wilting, remove dry leaves and water dry plants to avoid the risk of summer fires.
Gainesville Landscaping Services
Maintaining a healthy landscape can be difficult and time consuming during the summer. Rather than struggling to keep your plant life alive and possibly causing more damage in the process, let Evergreen Lawn Care help you. Contact us today for commercial and residential landscaping Gainesville, FL, residents can trust.
