Bring a lackluster lawn back to life

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

Hot, sunny summer days with temperatures in the 90s can cause more than a sunburn. A mixture of heat and weeds can turn a healthy, green lawn into a dried-out, unruly version of its former self.

Jim Gindlesperger from JAG Outdoor Services Inc. in Washington Township said he has seen plenty of damage this summer. He mostly blamed a dry season with high temperatures for the withered grass.

“I’m traveling around, and I’ve seen so many yellow lawns,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

But landscaping experts say there is hope for homeowners. One of the best ways to help a dried-out lawn recover is proper watering. But Gindlesperger warned against turning on the sprinklers late at night, which can cause its own problems.

“If you over-water it at night, it causes mold,” he said. “The ideal time to water is early in the morning, and when the sun comes up, it will naturally dry it so it’s not wet all night.”

Jenny Sura of Sura Landscape Service in Clawson said the best time to water a lawn is in the morning or evening. “You don’t want to do it in the hottest part of the day,” she said. “Slowly watering is the best way to achieve overall dampness, as opposed to trying to drown it in 10 minutes.”

But watering might not always be enough, Sura explained. She said dry grass tends to go dormant like it might normally do in the fall, and that can require other measures. “The only thing that helps green your lawn up is nitrogen, which is fertilizer,” she said.

Sura said fertilizer should be applied according to instructions on the bag, which will give measurements depending on the yard’s square footage. “You can definitely burn your lawn out by using too much fertilizer,” she said. 

Gindlesperger said the best times to fertilize are during the three main warm-weather holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Spacing out the application keeps a yard owner from using too much, he said. 

When it comes to ending a weed infestation, he said the best way to gain the upper hand on invaders like dandelions and clover is to keep the lawn healthy overall.

“You get the lawn thickened up, then you choke the weeds up,” he said. “With thin grass, the weeds jump back in there.”

Sura said clover, creeping myrtle and crabgrass are the most common offenders. Pulling weeds out individually can be an arduous task, but she said a blend of fertilizer and weed killer can be broadcast-sprayed on a lawn during the spring and fall.

“If it’s real bad, if your lawn looks like it hasn’t been maintained, it might take a year,” she said. “But if you keep going at it… your lawn will eventually look better.”

Homeowners can try to do reseeding on a bare patch of lawn any time of year, Sura said. But she added that the best times are in the spring and fall, since the temperatures are the most friendly to germination.

Stripping out a lawn is a last-resort option for a nearly dead lawn. “Either we come in and strip it out and put sod in, or if you’re low enough, we can bring in topsoil and top dress it,” she said. “Sometimes people are too high up, and there’s no room to add more dirt over it.”

You can reach JAG Outdoor Services Inc. in Washington Township at www.jagoutdoorservices.com or (586) 336-4650. Sura Landscape Service in Clawson can be contacted at (248) 240-3080.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.