You guys know you can fertilize in the summer right? Whether or not you are properly watering your lawn or not, you CAN and SHOULD still fertilize it. But what you use becomes more important than ever when the temps in July and August are in the upper 90s or higher. This is exactly why organic fertilizers are perfectly suited for summer lawn fertilization. (Get the book here)

Why Organic Fertilizer In Summer

One of the key advantages to organic fertilizers is that they are naturally slow releasing. This means there is pretty much no chance you are gonna cook your turf even if you apply too much. Now, I’m not telling you guys to go out and dump shovel-fulls of organic fertilizer on your lawn, but you certainly don’t need to be too concerned if you do mess up a bit!

Slow release organic fertilizer is also good for your grass in summer because it won’t PUSH the growth. The last thing we want to do in hot August is stimulate the lawn to grow super fast. This will surely stress the root system (especially if you don’t irrigate properly) and cause it to thin out under pressure. Organic lawn fertilizers break down in heat and release nitrogen and phosphorus very slowly, just enough to keep the grass healthy and green, but not overly so.

Finally, organic lawn fertilizers also improve the bio-activity in the soil. Honestly, rich, healthy soil is the basis of a healthy lawn and organics improve it greatly.

Below are examples of fertilizers I use in the summer for my own lawn. You can also get my step by step book here.

It’s great to “go green” with your lawn care, but your gardening tools can also go green and eco-friendly and that is why I am really stoked about the LEHR eco trimmer powered by propane instead of gasoline! That automatically means fewer emissions, cleaner emissions and honestly, better performance too! I have been using the LEHR trimmer now for over a year and can safely say that is outperforms even the top line gas weed whackers you can buy.

See the LEHR eco trimmer review I did below and then see where I show you where to get one for cheap too!

I talk a lot about organic lawn care, but even more important than is cutting your lawn properly. I mean, let’s be honest here, your lawn could be the greenest, more organic thing on the block, but if you hack the living crap out of it, that beauty will soon turn to dead straw and dirt spots.

With that in mind, here are the most basic of lawn mowing tips that ALL homeowners should follow.

Lawn Cutting Tips: Proper Mowing Height

The first thing I want you to know is that mowing height is very important. In fact, it is the most important of all the mowing tips you will read here. This is why:

I want you to imagine cutting your fingernails. If you clip them lightly, you are good, but if you cut too deeply, what happens? yep, nasty! Same thing with your grass. I want you to only take a small amount with each cutting, meaning no more than 25% of the grass blade should be cut in a single trimming. So if your lawn is 4″ tall when you are ready to cut, you should take it no lower than 3″ when completed.

Now, this is the other part of mowing your lawn tall, and that is to keep it right around 3″ all year long. If you are unsure of how to really measure for lawn height like in the video below, then just set your mower wheels on the second to the highest setting and forget it. That is the safe way to go… mow tall, trust me!

Once you are set with the mowing height, now I need you to consider the rest of your lawn mowing practices.

Lawn Cutting Tips: Sharp Mower Blade

You may not realize it, but a dull mower blade will do wonders to make your lawn look brown. This is is because the dull blade rips and shreds the the grass blades instead of making a super clean cut. If you are mowing just your lawn as a homeowner, then you are usually safe getting your lawn mower blade sharpened at the beginning of each season. Just keep an eye out for the typical ripped tips to know whether you need to get a sharpen or not.

Of course, I recommend you keep two sets of mower blades on hand anyway, just in case. This way, if one set needs to get sharpened, you have a spare.

Lawn Cutting Tips: Lawn Mower Horse Power

This is one that most folks don’t think about , but it is very important. You must have a lawn mower that has enough power to cut a thick lawn properly. If your mower is under-powered, it will clog and heave and the grass blades will be damaged, but not cut and this is not a good situation. These days, I recommend a mower that is a minimum of 5 horsepower.

You also should consider the quality of the mower and the depth of the deck. A deeper deck will allow more freedom beneath and less grass buildup. This is usually more important if you have a mulching lawn mower.

Remember guys, cut it right and you’ll be all good!