The No. 1 Step for Summer Picnic Prep

It's time to celebrate warm weather and sunshine. What better spot to throw a party than your own backyard?

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the season for picnics and parties on your patio. Increasing temperatures and extended daylight hours entice you to welcome your friends, family and neighbors to your home and share stories and laughter together. Children chase each other through the grass for a game of tag then dash through the sprinkler to cool off. Adults surround the grill and catch up, then prepare for a campfire in the yard.

After all, it's summertime. A time to have fun with the people you love, without a worry in sight--except you want your landscape looking its best for when your visitors arrive. You envision a thick, green lawn padding the feet of your friends that walk your lawn to admire your clean flower beds, bright blossoms and tall trees.

But because all that foot traffic, plus summer heat and sprinkler splashes, can take a toll on your lawn, regularly monitoring your landscape and maintaining good turf and tree health kickoff proper picnic preparation in your backyard.

Show Your Lawn Some Love

To be the good host you expect it to be throughout the season, your lawn requires some room to breathe. Prepare it for summertime fun, friends and family with the following tips for proper lawn care:

1. Aerify. Core aerification allows water and oxygen to better access the soil below by removing small bits of thatch and soil from your lawn.
2. Water. Remember to adhere to water restrictions if they apply to your community.
3. Fertilize. If your lawn needs to recover from drought, fertilizer can particularly help.
4. Mow. You can discourage weeds by mowing high.

Don't Forget Tree Safety

Your trees need love and attention, too! They not only shade your yard, but they also provide privacy to your property and its summertime visitors. Help them stay healthy and beat the heat of summer with the following tips for proper tree care:

1. Water. When soil is dry and any existing restrictions permit watering, be sure your trees get a bit of H₂O!
2. Mulch. Conserve moisture and retain a moderate soil temperature for your trees.
3. Prune. You'll want to remove any weak or dead limbs from your trees' canopies to help prevent accidents from occurring in your yard. Sometimes even healthy trees can fail, so know how to manage the problem before rough weather wreaks havoc on your landscape.
4. Inspect. Keep insect infestations and disease from entering your property by regularly monitoring and inspecting your trees for warning signs.

When is your first backyard gathering of the season? Now that you know where to begin your summer picnic prep, party planning should be a breeze from here!

If your turf and trees need some TLC and you'd like some sound advice, contact your local professionally trained Davey arborist for a free consultation!