If you’re a Northern Virginia homeowner, your lawn has unique summer needs. When people think about summer, they think about going to the pool, the beach, putting their kids in camps, all kinds of things. They sure don’t think about lawns. As the temperature rises and the weather gets dry, your lawn has different needs than it does in the cool spring and fall. A good summer fertilizer meets those needs.
Most people in Northern Virginia have what are called cool-season lawns — primarily tall fescue. What that means is that the best time of year to put down your high-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizers is when the weather is cool (Spring and Fall). What about summer? Your lawn needs nutrients other than just good nitrogen.
Water
The hotter it gets, the more water your lawn needs, just like you. Watering doesn’t need to happen every day. Established grass likes to get soaked, and then dry out, getting water once, maybe twice a week. In a drought, increase the amount of water going on the lawn by increasing how long sprinklers are on before increasing the frequency with which you are watering the lawn. Put out a piece of Tupperware or a rain gauge to determine just how much water is making it to the lawn. To help prevent fungus, make sure to water your lawn early in the morning during the summer months.
A good summer lawn fertilizer will have something that helps prevent against dryness. A wetting agent accomplishes two things. It makes the water that goes down more efficient (whether by sprinkler or rain) so not as much water is necessary. It also helps protect against too much water being present by increasing the ability of water to percolate through the soil, making too much water go away. Although in recent years, too much water hasn’t been much of a problem.
Iron
In the spring and fall we green up the lawn with nitrogen. In the summer and winter, we use Iron. Iron makes the lawn darker green. In addition to being more aesthetically pleasing, a darker green lawn is a healthier lawn. A good summer fertilizer will contain a modest percentage of Iron in the bag which will help the lawn keep its green color during the hot summer. Remember to sweep iron products off your concrete when you are done to prevent staining.
Root Growth
Root growth is the key to all lawn care no matter the season. If the lawn is growing roots, it’s happy. Humic acid is an organic compound that helps promote root growth, among many other benefits for the lawn. A good summer fertilizer will have a root growth stimulant in it, and humic acid is the best.
Nitrogen
While we sure don’t want lots of Nitrogen, it’s always good to provide a little for your lawn. Nitrogen promotes growth, and we always want a lawn that’s growing a little. A low level of nitrogen (roughly 8-12% by weight) will help keep your lawn growing, but not so fast that we are having to mow all the time.
So how do we provide all these items? The DIY approach means sourcing each component separately: a wetting agent, an iron product, a humate, and your spring fertilizer at reduced rate. Or, get everything in one bag with Betty’s Preferential Treatment. [LINK to Preferential Treatment product page] With 10% Nitrogen, 10% Iron, a wetting agent, and humic acid all in one bag, Preferential Treatment is the best summer fertilizer available.
When to Apply Preferential Treatment
Your lawn will let you know the best time to apply Preferential treatment. Sometime between Memorial Day and July 4th, your lawn will start looking lethargic. It won’t be as green, we aren’t mowing as often, and things don’t seem so perky. That’s the best time to apply Preferential Treatment to help your lawn make it through the hot summer months. A second application can be done if the summer is particularly hot and dry, if we are going to be starting our fall treatments on the later side of September, or if we really want to green up the lawn before putting our house on the market.
SEO Editor Notes (remove before publishing)
Suggested meta description (150 chars): “Betty’s summer lawn fertilizer guide for Northern Virginia cool-season lawns. Learn how iron, humic acid, and Preferential Treatment keep your lawn green all summer.”
Target keywords: summer lawn fertilizer Northern Virginia | cool-season grass summer care | iron fertilizer for lawns | humic acid lawn treatment | tall fescue summer fertilizer | when to fertilize lawn in summer
Internal links needed: (1) “Preferential Treatment” → product page; (2) “cool-season lawns” → any existing grass type post; (3) “humic acid” → soil health post if available.
