Summer is in full swing, and with the hot sun and dry weather, your yard may be looking a little bit worse for wear. However, good landscaping and fertilizing can create lawns that look brand new, even in the summer heat.

Patchy lawns are an issue that many homeowners deal with regularly, but they can be fixed with regular watering and fertilizing. If you’ve never fertilized your lawn before, here are five simple steps to get you started.

Know the Numbers

When you go to pick up your fertilizer, there will be three numbers on the label. These numbers show the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, respectively, which are the primary nutrients needed to feed your lawn. So a 20-5-10 bag will consist of 20% nitrogen, 5% phosphate, and 10% potassium. You should be picking up a bag with a slow release formula, and one with a relatively low amount of nitrogen. You are feeding your yard, after all, not growing hay.

Go With Granules

While professionals may use a liquid formula that sprays across lawns, they’re professionals, which means that they’ve been trained to use such methods. Granules make for efficient and easy application, as well as little risk for contamination in areas that do not need to be fertilized.

Don’t Forget to Water

Before you fertilize your lawn, make sure it receives a good watering. Most fertilizers require as much as one-fourth of an inch of water to begin breaking down, so having water present beforehand is important. However, it’s important to remember t hat the more you water your lawn, the more often you’ll need to fertilize.

Don’t Over-Apply

Most bags of fertilizer will tell you the appropriate amount of fertilizer to spread on your lawn, but you should avoid following it on the first application. Start with half of what the bag recommends, and then gauge your yard’s progress and adjust for future fertilizing.

Clean Up After Yourself

Even the best spreading tools can get a few granules of fertilizer on your walkway or driveway. While good lawn care involves fertilizing, your driveway and the existing water supply don’t need it. To avoid polluting surface water and to protect local wildlife, sweep up any stray granules as well as you can.

Giving your lawn a fresh start isn’t too difficult, but be sure to keep track of your fertilizing schedule to ensure that you’re not over-saturating your lawn! If you follow these five steps, you’ll be on your way to a gorgeous summer lawn in no time.