A Green Lawn can Save on Your AC
When it comes to home comfort, did you know that having a green lawn can help? Keeping your grass green and well cared for can, indeed, make your home a little cooler and reduce the use of your air conditioner during the summer months. Green grass—compared to dirt, concrete blacktops or even dry, brown grass—absorbs sunlight instead of simply reflecting it. As a result, your home will not get heat reflected back on it which can make it hotter indoors. Also, a green lawn can also help your home’s indoor air quality as the grass helps reduce airborne dust and particulates around your house that can get pulled inside. Not to mention, just having a green lawn in the summer is nice and can help reduce stress and create a more peaceful outdoor living space.
How do you get a green lawn in Denver?
Denver has very hard dirt with a lot of clay. Plus, we get a lot of high UV light given our altitude. And, we have dry air. So, keeping the grass green is a little more difficult than in other parts of the country. But, here are some practical tips to keeping your lawn green. The good news is, April and May are typically our wetter months so you can let nature help jump start your green lawn.
- Spring Aeration and Revive – In April or May, ensure you get your lawn aerated. This will help loosen up the soil in your yard to allow rain (or water from spring snow storms) to get down into the soil and grass roots. At the same time, put down a good organic fertilizer. Here in Colorado, Revive is a good starting fertilizer as it is full of nutrients that are specially created for our unique soil.
- Spring Seeding – If you have some spots that you know need a little more grass, spreading out some seeds after aeration is also a good idea. With the fertilizer and the April snow and May showers (sometimes snow) those seeds stand a pretty good chance of getting worked into the soil. Especially since the lawn is aerated and now looser.
- Set a good watering schedule – If you have an automatic sprinkler system, we recommend watering in the morning every other day or so. Watering in the morning hours will prevent evaporation as well as fungus. Depending on presence of shade on your lawn, you may not need to water as much as the shade will help keep the water on your lawn longer. But, if you are fortunate to have a western facing lawn (with great views of the Front Range) but no natural shade, you may find you need to water a little more. If you see areas that are dry, instead of running your entire sprinkler system, just give that area a little extra water from a garden hose.
- Mow Higher – You do not need to cut your grass short. The goal is not to have a putting green in your back yard. Instead, you do want to keep your grass a little longer as it creates shade for the grass roots that then helps the roots stay hydrated longer ultimately resulting in a more lush lawn. Also, keeping the grass a little long helps keep weeds at bay.
- Fertilizer – Keep your lawn fed. During the summer months you will want to fertilize about once a month. This will keep the needed nutrients for your grass to stay healthy in the soil and feeding your roots. Again, a lot of our soil in Colorado is clay, so getting the proper nutrients is critical. Also, keeping you lawn fertilized helps you save on water and makes it so you do not have to water each and every day.
- Fall Aeration and Fertilization – In the fall, when you shut down your sprinkler system, is another good time to aerate and put down a final application of fertilizer. Doing so will give your lawn the ability take advantage of the coming winter storms and be fed during the winter months. And, you will find that in the spring, your lawn will come back quicker and greener.
How to Use This Information
Keeping your lawn green will create more comfort in your home. But, if you find that your AC is just not keeping up, you may need air conditioning repair or even air conditioning installation. We can help as our team of Home Comfort Specialists can evaluate your home and recommend the perfect system to meet your comfort needs and budget. Call 303-424-1622 or go online to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help.
