Show #146 - Summer Lawn Care Secrets: Watering, Iron, Privacy Screens & Mid-Summer Garden Tips

Summer is one of the toughest seasons for lawns and landscapes, but with the right approach, your yard can stay healthy, green, and productive. This week’s episode focuses on the three fundamentals of summer lawn care—iron, watering, and disease prevention—along with vegetable garden maintenance, insect control, and selecting the best evergreen plants for privacy screening.

The Three Secrets to Summer Lawn Care

Healthy summer lawns depend on three key practices:

• Apply iron instead of heavy nitrogen fertilizers.
• Measure rainfall and irrigation to ensure one inch of water each week.
• Prevent lawn disease with a quality fungicide before problems develop.

Following these three principles helps lawns withstand summer heat while maintaining healthy color and vigor.

Why Iron Is the Key to a Greener Lawn

Unlike spring, summer lawn care is not about pushing rapid growth with nitrogen.

Iron provides:

• deep green color
• healthier turf
• slower, more manageable growth
• improved summer appearance

Products containing additional ingredients such as humates and wetting agents can also improve root development, nutrient uptake, and water movement throughout the soil during stressful summer conditions.

Measure Your Water—Don’t Guess

One of the most important summer gardening tools is a rain gauge.

Established sunny lawns should receive approximately:

• 1 inch of water per week

Water requirements vary depending on:

• sprinkler type
• water pressure
• nozzle design
• natural rainfall

Measuring actual water output helps eliminate dry spots and prevents both overwatering and underwatering.

New annuals and perennials require much more frequent watering during their first few weeks while becoming established.

Sloped Lawns Need Extra Attention

Lawns that slope toward the south or west receive greater sun exposure and heat.

These areas often require:

• additional irrigation
• closer monitoring
• more aggressive fungus prevention

Understanding your landscape’s microclimates helps prevent unnecessary summer stress.

Prevent Lawn Disease Before It Starts

Summer fungicides work best as preventative treatments rather than cures.

Applying preventative fungicides before disease develops helps protect:

• full-sun lawns
• dense turf areas
• heat-stressed grass

Healthy watering practices combined with preventative fungicide applications provide the best summer protection.

This Week’s Lawn & Garden Checklist

Feed Growing Vegetables

As vegetable plants mature, their nutritional needs increase.

Continue feeding regularly and:

• add hydrated lime if it was missed at planting
• monitor growth closely
• support heavy-producing vegetables with consistent nutrition

Watch for Summer Garden Insects

Common summer pests include:

• Japanese beetles
• tomato hornworms
• spider mites
• azalea lace bugs
• lanternflies

Organic options such as Spinosad can help manage many common insect problems.

Read What Your Plants Are Telling You

Plants often show early warning signs before major problems develop.

Watch for:

• holes in leaves
• yellow interior foliage
• wilting
• weakened growth

Early intervention prevents larger problems later in the season.

Control Summer Lawn Weeds

Warm-season weeds begin emerging during June.

Persistent weeds such as:

• crabgrass
• nutsedge
• orchard grass

should be treated while lawns are actively growing and well-watered.

Water Is Your Most Important Garden Tool

No fertilizer or treatment can replace proper watering.

Remember:

• 93% of a blade of grass is water.
• Established lawns need one inch of water weekly.
• Water before extreme heat arrives—not afterward.

Gardeners who monitor rainfall consistently are far more successful during summer.

Helpful Watering Tools

Several tools make watering easier and more effective:

• rain gauges
• watering wands
• adjustable sprinklers
• drip irrigation systems

Watering directly at the root zone improves efficiency while reducing waste.

Prevent Summer Insects Before They Become Problems

Summer brings increased insect pressure throughout the landscape.

Preventative spray programs can help protect plants from:

• Japanese beetles
• spider mites
• azalea lace bugs
• lanternflies
• mosquitoes
• ticks

Treating problems early typically produces better results than waiting until severe damage appears.

Watch for Sod Webworms

Brown zig-zag patches in the lawn may indicate sod webworm activity.

Signs include:

• irregular brown areas
• small moths flying from the lawn
• thinning grass

Prompt treatment helps prevent extensive turf damage.

Deadhead Annual Flowers for More Blooms

Removing spent flowers encourages continued blooming throughout summer.

Combine deadheading with:

• regular fertilizer
• consistent watering
• routine monitoring

to keep annual beds performing their best.

Gardening Means Watching the Weather

Successful gardeners constantly monitor weather conditions.

Before periods of intense heat:

• check rainfall totals
• water deeply if needed
• avoid allowing plants to become drought stressed

Preparing plants before heat waves is much more effective than trying to revive them afterward.

Choosing the Best Privacy Screening Plants

Different screening plants perform best under different light conditions.

Best Evergreen Screens for Full Sun

Excellent options include:

• Emerald Green Arborvitae
• Green Giant Arborvitae

These evergreens provide dense, year-round privacy in sunny locations.

Great Screening Plants for Partial Shade

For areas receiving less direct sunlight, consider:

• Skinny Skip Laurel
• Nellie R. Stevens Holly
• Oakland Holly
• Oakleaf Holly
• Winter Sun Mahonia

Matching the plant to the available sunlight greatly improves long-term success.

Fertilizer Helps Screening Plants Grow Faster

Privacy plants respond dramatically to consistent feeding.

High-quality slow-release fertilizers can:

• encourage faster growth
• improve density
• produce fuller screening
• establish healthier root systems

Final Takeaway

Summer lawn success depends on consistent care rather than quick fixes. Measure your watering, prevent disease before it starts, feed lawns and vegetables appropriately, monitor insects early, and choose landscape plants that match your site’s growing conditions. Small maintenance tasks performed consistently throughout summer produce healthier lawns, stronger gardens, and more attractive landscapes.