How To Keep Your Lawn Looking Good During Drought Conditions
Whether you are trying to make your home stand out from the crowd when selling or you simply want to win the "Yard of the Month" award, these tips for caring for your lwan during a drought are invaluable.
Del-co Realty Group would like to thank our friends at TruGreen for the great tips!
Our summer's high temperatures have affected landscapes and lawns across the region. Grass is growing at a slower rate and damage caused by drought stress and crabgrass has become more visible. As fall approaches, proper watering and mowing can help strengthen your turf and reduce the effects of drought stress this fall.
- Your lawn will benefit most when it is given 1.5 to 2 inches of water weekly. Watering in the morning hours encourages deep rooting and is better for your lawn than frequent, light sprinkling in the evening hours. (Be sure to follow local water restrictions).
- You can use a rain gauge or tuna can to determine the amount of water being applied to the lawn.
- Continue to mow regularly while the turf is still actively growing and only remove the top 1/3 of the grass blade. Cutting too much of the grass blade off at one time can put stress on the grass plant.
Drought Stress
Please pay sttention to the following stress warning to help reduce the chance of your lawn receiving severe injury.
- If the color of your lawn turns blue-gray in appearance, it's likely stressed from the lack of moisture in the soil.
- Grass blades will naturally curl and fold when under stress. This wilt can quickly be corrected with supplying water to the plant, approximately 0.75-1.0 inches.
- Watch for random patches or wilted/brown turf which may indicate drought stress, disease or insect damage.
Crabgrass
The summer heat and dry conditions created an abnormal increase in the amount of crabgrass found in local lawns. Once crabgrass has established in your lawn, it is more difficult for to control. However, through TruGreen's continuous program, and as the weather changes, crabgrass will die off and your lawn will recover.
Sincerely,
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