How to deal with the five worst problems that can occur in your lawn this summer!

Summer lawn care can mean dealing with problems and taking quick actions to keep your lawn and yard looking good. Extreme weather, children, pets - all can contribute to a stressed lawn in one way or another. Let's take a look at the five worst summer lawn care issues and what you can do now to help keep your lawn looking great.

5. Dull and tired lawn

Does your lawn need a boost in time for the coming weekend?

Solution: Find a fertilizer with urea, urea is an inexpensive, quick-release synthetic fertilizer. It is not intended to replace regular applications of slow release nitrogen fertilizers. Apply at a rate of one-half pound of nitrogen (or about 1 pound of urea product) per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Pour water immediately after application. Within two to three days, your lawn will turn green and stay that way for up to two weeks.

4. Dogs

Do you see lots of round patches of dried grass where your dog has visited? Dog urine contains a high concentration of nitrogen salts, which burn grass.

Solution: Immediately flush the area where your dog has urinated with a bucket of water.

3. Caterpillars

Problem: Damage occurs in late summer and early fall. If you have wilted or dry patches of grass that pull easily, there are likely caterpillars in the grass. You may even see some of the white grubs when you lift up a patch of healthy sod near the dead patches.

Solution: Although it is best to prevent them from hatching with a product applied to your lawn in early summer (in the South) or July (in the North), you can use pesticides containing carbaryl and trichlorofon to control areas that have hatched.

2. Identify problem areas

Every lawn has areas where the grass has been worn down by foot traffic or is simply struggling to grow.

Solution: By mid-summer, you can evaluate what you might do differently. For example, if the grass has worn out under the children's playset, it may be time to replace the turf there with bark chips. If you see a pattern in the way people walk through your yard to get to the shed or mailbox, you may want to add a simple flagstone walkway this fall. You can also identify weeds in a specific area.

1. Growing the lawn in shady areas

Solution: Fix this problem first by thinning tree branches that shade the area to let in even a little more sunlight. Without some sun, grass simply cannot grow. This fall, sow seed and spread it with a rake so it is in contact with the soil. Warm autumn days and cooler nights create ideal conditions for seed germination. Fertilize the lawn when the leaves begin to fall, and again the following spring. Avoid fertilizer in tree-shaded areas next summer.