Summertime in Florida is HOT, HOT, HOT! That means landscaping maintenance really heats-up and with hotter weather, means harsher conditions for you landscape. Here are a few tips for keep your lawn looking its best during this sizzling time of year.
These tips will help you keep your lawn looking cool, despite the heat!
Irrigate Correctly - When things get hot out, they also get dry. Many people think the answer is as simple as increasing the amount of water provided to the landscape, and although increasing the amount of water provided to the landscape helps, you must water at the appropriate times. When water is provided during the heat of the day, the water evaporates on the very tops of your plant material, and can often boil those positions of the plant. It is best to water as or after the sun has set, or before or as the sun is rising. In addition, increasing the irrigation anywhere from an additional hour-two hours is also helpful to compensate for the increased daylight hours during the long, hot, summer days.
Attend to Signs Of Stress - The hotter weather of the summer can often stress sod, shrubs, and trees. Signs of stress include: 1.) shrinking of plant leaves and material 2.) dropping excess plant leaves and materials 3.) browning of plant leaves and material 3.) drying of plant leaves and materials. When you notice these signs make sure you respond accordingly - do not trim much off of the stressed plant, do not try to over compensate with heavy water, and do not fertilize until it shows signs of improvements.
Know Your Conditions - This is important in all seasons, but especially during the harsh conditions of summer time. For example, if you know that your material requires partial shade and during the summer that same material will be exposed to more sunlight, you’ll be able to increase the irrigation for that material to compensate for the the changes. In addition, knowing that increased temperatures will decrease the ph levels in soil, will enable you to compensate for the changes again, using a fertilizer with a higher ph. Understanding changes like these during the summer, can help you compensate to address your landscapes needs.