When the plan comes together just right, the payoff can be very rewarding.  If you have performed all the recommended treatments, your lawn might look like mine … The Best it has looked in years!

All the Spring lawn projects have been completed, including a long overdue aerating and a seed ‘n feed in one troublesome area in the backyard.  Mother Nature has cooperated with a run of cool, sunny weather and just enough rain to keep the momentum on the growing.  The lawn is quite remarkably absent of any weeds.  The turf is thick, long and a healthy dark green.

Enjoy it while you can before the heat of Summer begins its attack!

The one promise you can always count on when it comes to lawn care is that there is always something else to do … especially in Spring … especially when Summer is right around the corner.

If you have visited Cranky Man’s Lawn in the past, you might recall tirades of mine about a good lawn in the Spring is only half the battle.  My buddy, Bob, still gives me grief about a post a few years ago by reminding me – when I speak loftily about my Spring turf – that “Everyone’s lawn looks good in April!”

True that is, even for May!

I won’t belabor all the points made previously.  You can indulge yourself here  or here …

What I can do is summarize a few keys points …

• Let your lawn grow longer BEFORE it gets hotter.  Pay attention to the heat index and act accordingly.
• If you have a contractor cutting your grass, tell him to cut the grass higher.  They will cut it as short as they can in case they miss a week due to inclement weather.

Remember what my grandpappy used to say …

“A fairway in May, will be a runway in August!”

• If you don’t have an in-ground irrigation system, buy a decent lawn sprinkler and use it.  Watering every 2-3 days, if rain is not in the forecast, can make a world of difference.
• Don’t discourage over browning grass.  If you let the grass grow sufficiently, the grass-roots will be protected enough – most times – under excessive heat and dryness even if the grass itself looks like death.
• Pray for rainy days or moderate thunderstorms during the Dog Days.

I call this picture
“Shadow of a Cranky Man”

Finally, about now in the my neck of Southeast Pennsylvania, more than a few lawn owners in the Obsessive-Compulsive category are bemoaning the need to bag lawn clippings for their thick, luxurious, rain-fed lawns.  The Solution?  Cut it more often!

OK, probably not The Answer you wanted to hear.

But cutting your lawn every three days, instead once a week, will eliminate the need to bag your clippings (if you have a decent mulching mower and the lawn is not too wet).  It may not sound like much, but it’s a nice change of pace to all that bending, lifting, dumping, moving …

And if you’re working something like the Lose It! app for weight loss …

Hey, 640 calories for an hour-and-a-half of pushing the grass eater!