Ozarks lawn experts weigh in with tips to keep your lawn healthy during summer months

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Parts of the Ozarks are already under a drought advisory, and the KY3 First Alert Weather team says if we don’t get more moisture before the hotter months, your lawn could be at risk.

“You need to look at the fact that rain is going to taper off,” said the owner of 417 Mowing, Shawn Jones. “It’s going to be time to start irrigating.”

Jones says it’s important to water at the right time of day.

”You want to irrigate early in the morning, five, six o’clock in the morning is a great time,” said Jones. “If you do it during the heat of the day, it would be like steaming vegetables, a lot of the water that you’re putting down isn’t getting to where it needs to be because of evaporation.”

Jones says the amount of time you’re watering is more important than how often you do it.

“Go 10 or 15 minutes versus five,” said Jones. “And do that every other day or every third day. And that’s gonna get watered down where it needs to be. And that’ll be sufficient to get your lawn through those really hot, drier parts.”

Jones says making sure your equipment is in working order is another important step in lawn care.

”One of the other factors, just for the overall health of your lawn, mowing at the proper cutting heights and using a sharp blade, any little thing that stresses the grass is going to detract from how good it looks,” said Jones. “If you’ve got a dull blade, or you’re cutting it too short, it’s just not going to be looking as good as it can.”

Jones says to make sure the fertilizer has nitrogen because it helps with green color and top growth, but if you add too much, the grass will grow too high.

”You can actually reduce that nitrogen,” said Jones. “And make sure you have a little bit of iron in there. And you can get the green color without the extra top growth”

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