Lawn care is not one of the most important parts of gardening for me. I keep it mowed and that is about it. I have no neighbor to judge what it looks like, as the nearest neighbor is more than a quarter mile away.
Since my personal experience is limited, I would like to pass along some good information from the University of Minnesota about lawn care.
How you manage your lawn now affects its performance for the rest of the growing season. Two key management practices have a significant impact on your lawn’s ability to withstand stress: mowing height and watering practices.
Keep your mowing height at least 3 inches. A taller turf is more resistant to encroaching weeds like crabgrass, is more drought-tolerant due to having deeper roots — which means the lawn will need to be mowed less often.
You can train your grass roots to grow deeper, allowing for a more drought-tolerant lawn. You can achieve this by not watering regularly.
By mimicking Mother Nature and watering deeply into the soil less frequently, you can ensure a deeper-rooted lawn. Deeper roots will have access to more water in the soil, resulting in turf that stays green longer and is less susceptible to drought.
You need to watch for garden pests this time of year. Place traps for apple maggots in your apple trees by the end of the month because they become active in early July. You can also spray Sevin to prevent apple maggot.
Some bag their apples to prevent apple maggots from burrowing into the fruit. This must be done now.
If you planted new trees or shrubs this year, they will require regular watering to develop strong root systems. Mulching with 3 to 4 inches of wood mulch helps suppress weeds, conserves moisture and protects roots from excessive heat and lawn mower damage. Avoid piling mulch around the base of the stems — called volcano mulching.
Check pots and hanging baskets, especially those in full sun and exposed to wind. Sometimes they will need to be watered more than once a day.
And the more you water, the more you will need to fertilize as the water leaches out the fertilizer. Half-strength soluble fertilizer once a week works well. Fertilize after you water with plain water.
Some plants that may require thinning include carrots and beets. Peppers, basil and zinnia do well with an initial cutting back.
Peppers and zinnias can be pinched back when there are 3 to 4 sets of fully developed leaves. Remove the top of the stem, leaving 2 full sets of leaves. Use clean, sharp pruners and make cuts at a slight angle so water does not pool at the top of the stem. Basil can be pinched back all summer long for a continuous harvest of leaves.
Master Gardener Sue Morris has been writing a column since 1991 for Kandiyohi County newspapers. Morris has been certified through the University of Minnesota as a gardening and horticulture expert since 1983. She lives in Kandiyohi County.