Summer is always a great time to soak up and work in the sun. That said, you should build a resilient lawn that can withstand high foot traffic, pests, weeds, and the effects of the sun, among other elements. Here are 21 tips to help you get summer ready before the season hits.
Pave Your Backyard
Backyard activities like swimming, dining on patios, and gazing in the fire pits are always at their peak during summer. One way to get summer ready for these activities is to create pavements leading to featured amenities.
Paving would prevent your family members and friends from trampling on the grass and other vegetation on the lawn. Additionally, it will even out any potholes and indentations that could otherwise cause discomfort and injuries to backyard users.
To install, identify the backyard areas you want to be paved, then use a dry line marker to outline the area. Also, assemble the working materials and tools like:
- Edge restraints
- Bedding sand
- Pavers
- Crushed stones
- Sand joints
- A sealant
- A shovel
- A wheelbarrow
- A hammer
- Metal spikes
- Weed blocker
After collecting the necessary tools and materials, you can start installing the pavement. Below are the steps to follow:
- Lay the base material (crushed stones) using a wheelbarrow and a shovel
- Lay the edges and then use spikes to hold them in place and maintain the shape of the pavement
- Add a layer of sand (5.1 cm high) onto the base layer and level it
- Lay a weed blocker on top of the sand to inhibit the growth of grass and weeds in the pavers
- Install the pavers, starting at a 90-degree corner, and proceed with the longest straight line. When paving, ensure you don’t step on or disturb the second layer of sand on the sand as it will make the surface uneven.
- pour sand or polymeric sealant on the already installed pavers to seal the gaps
As you can see, installing pavement is tiring, especially when assembling the materials. That is why large lawn owners should consider paving contracting rather than doing it themselves.
Give The Vegetation In Your Lawn A Special Treat
During summer, it hurts to see tired-looking vegetation or patches in some parts of the lawn as they lose water and succumb to the sun’s heat. However, the good news is that you can maintain your lush-looking lawn throughout the season by giving it some special treats like:
Aerating The Compacted Areas
Compacted soil may suffocate the roots of grass and other plants in your yard, leading to bare patches. One way to solve this problem is to aerate the areas with retarded and droopy vegetation in your compound and then water them sufficiently.
This task should be easy to execute with a fork. Push a garden fork into the compacted area for about 10cm depth and then use its handle to rock it back and forth to loosen the soil. By so doing, you will allow the roots to breathe to facilitate growth.
Mulching The Plants
Another way to get summer ready is to mulch all the plants and flower gardens to fertilize the soil and inhibit weeds’ growth and water loss to the sun.
One good thing about mulching is that you can use grass clippings, shredded tree branches, sawdust, etc., which are readily available. If you can’t get these materials in your place, then you can get already prepared mulch from the local mulch shops.
Feed Your Backyard
Another trick to get summer ready is fertilizing your yards. If the biggest portion of your large lawn is filled with grass, you can invest in a wheeled lawn feeder like Scotts Elite Spreader to aid you in applying the fertilizer.
Besides the fertilizer spreader, you should install a sprinkler irrigation system in your yard to ensure that it’s sufficiently watered.
Remember, spraying too much fertilizer on any plant’s leaves may burn them and cause yellowing. We recommend a sprinkler system to wash the fertilizer off the plant leaves.
Another advantage of sprinkler irrigation is that it distributes water uniformly and in optimal amounts, allowing it penetrate deep into the plant roots without eroding the soil.
Better still, you can integrate the system with a timer for scheduled watering, which is a great way to save water.
If you are not an expert in water and irrigation systems, hire a professional sprinkler maintenance service provider to install and manage the watering systems.
Before making the above investments, ensure you rid the weeds and regrow grass in all patched areas, as it will help conserve water and soil nutrients.
Keep Pests Under Watch
Have you ever wondered why your lawn looks sickly and brown despite your watering efforts? Various reasons can account for this, and pest infestation is one of them.
The soil, grass, flowers, and other plants in your lawn are natural habitats for grubs, armyworms, chinch bugs, cutworms, and sod webworms which can be disastrous to your yard.
On the contrary, the lawn can also host beneficial insects which impact them positively. That’s why contracting a pest control company to research the types of pests in your lawn should be your number one step to getting summer ready.
The grass in your lawn may also look weak and unappealing if you let dogs and other animals in your compound sleep, play, or utilize it in any other way.
For instance, a dog’s pee can stain grass, especially if they have to use the same spot severally. Additionally, any animal can cause yellowing of the grass when they sleep in the same spot for many hours. Now you can imagine how your lawn will look if you utilize any part of the lawn.
Worst of all, these animal host pests and can easily transfer to humans. While hiring a pest control company will help, you must train these animals to use a designated portion of the lawn. That way, it will be easy to control the pests.
Clean Everything
Another way to get summer ready is cleaning all mess your property might have accumulated during winter and early spring. Use a power cleaner to clean off any soot, grime, and dust from various sections of your house.
Next, head to the patio and clean dust, cobwebs, and other unwanted elements from the furniture, floor, ceiling, and other surfaces.
Remember to clean the swimming pool, swim spa hot tub, and other recreational amenities whose application surges in summer. Be sure to disinfect all surfaces, especially the shared amenities that haven’t been used for a while.
And if some amenities like hot tubs and swim spas are out of shape, ensure you repair them or order new units from their respective hot tub companies.
Remodel Your Home
The late spring and summer seasons offer the best time for home renovations and structural changes. This is because temperatures are usually high, and people spend most of their time outdoors.
As an expert DIYer, you can utilize this period to renovate and remodel the areas of your home that you couldn’t perform during the winter seasons.
For instance, you can add new paint to your main house, patio, garage, parking lot, etc., or work on the roofs. If you aren’t adept in home remodeling and renovations, you can contact any reliable local masonry contracting service to help you out.
When choosing a masonry service, pick a licensed and certified contractor experienced in the field. You can tell a contractor is experienced by looking at their past performances and customer testimonials. Also, you can ask them how they plan to implement your get summer ready renovation project and choose the one with the best approach.
Improve Your Backyard Security
The fact that you’ll be spending most of your time outside implies that you must invest in extra security to keep every corner of your yard safe. Below are various steps to enhance your backyard security as you get summer ready.
Putting Up A Fence
Installing a fence will block any thieves who might be looking for easy targets. It also gives your home peaceful containment and privacy, especially in a congested neighborhood. And the good news is that you can always install the fence on your own or outsource the fencing services from a third-party professional if you need a complex one.
Installing Security Cameras
Security cameras are enough to send away thieves, trespassers, and other criminals from your compound. They also help trace and apprehend the culprit should property theft occur.
For best results, position the cameras in an open space where they can capture all entrants to your compound. Also, install sufficient lighting to ensure quality surveillance at night.
Do Backyard Evaluation
After executing the major projects on your lawn, you must manually inspect the entire yard to see if any areas still need your tender love and care. This is the right time to evaluate the easy-to-forget regions like:
Driveways And Parking Lots
If you receive a lot of traffic in your backyard, the chances are high that your driveway and parking lots might have developed cracks from heavyweight vehicles.
Besides, these sections can also crack from the frequent freeze and thaw cycles during winter extremes. Doing a backyard evaluation will help you identify the cracks and other defects to take corrective action.
You can repair the cracks on your own if the parking lots and the driveways are made of concrete. On the other hand, you will need to hire sealcoating services to deal with the cracks and add a protective layer on your asphalt driveways.
Diseased Plants
Doing a backyard inspection will also help you identify plants with diseased sections to prune them before they spread the disease to other plants in your lawn. After all, you’ll want to usher in summer with a flourishing and inviting yard.
Do Regular Swimming Pool Maintenance
As you get summer ready for outdoor partying and family get-togethers, it is essential to extend some love to your swimming pool. Here are a few tips to get you started if you are new to swimming pool repair and maintenance.
Skim Debris
Use a leaf skimmer to remove any leaf branches, leaves, and flora your pool might have accumulated during the winter and early spring seasons.
Clean Or Replace The Filter
Pool filters need regular cleaning to rid any trapped debris and avoid the development of bacteria in the pool. If you haven’t cleaned your filter and the pool water looks murky and discolored, it’s time to clean it up and replace it if it has completed its lifespan.
Inspect And Repair Any Leaks
As you get summer ready, you want to inspect your pool for leaks to repair them before the swimming season kicks in. So, how will you detect any leaks? A bucket test will suffice.
To do it, fill a bucket with water ΒΌ way shy full way and mark the water level outside the bucket. Then, let the bucket float in water for several days.
If the water drops by the same amount, then it’s evaporation. And, if it reduces more on the outside, then the chances are high that some part/s of the pool are leaking. You must call a pro to repair the pool before anyone dives in.
Shape Your Lawn
Feeding, watering, and treating a lawn (discussed earlier) can help the vegetation thrive and withstand the sun and other elements. However, your yard won’t look complete if you don’t shape it. Here are a few hacks you can do to get a well-manicured lawn as you get summer ready.
Consider Mowing And Edging The Lawn
Overly long grass can stunt the roots, and harbor pests, stones, and other unwanted elements. That said, you should mow the grass regularly to a height of 3 inches. This height will prevent the accumulation of the above elements while retaining the soil moisture. Be sure to mulch the grass clippings or decompose them in your compost pit.
Edging the lawn to give it a defined shape is also a great way to get summer ready. After all, you want to create a picturesque environment that everyone will enjoy.
Prune Trees And Edge The Lawn
Always cut the long tree branches as they may deprive other small plants and grass of sunlight, leading to discoloration.
Final Remarks
Summer is always a great time to utilize your backyard. The above lawn maintenance tips will help you get summer ready for the numerous outdoor activities. Be sure to implement all of them, and enjoy.