Drought Relief
For your landscape, drought is always a danger. Drought-stressed lawns
are more susceptible to damage from disease and insects that diminish
your lawns beauty and harm its overall health.
According to TruGreen
, which has developed an excellent drought recovery program,
here are some steps to take that can speed your lawns recovery.
Signs of Drought Stress
The color of your plants is a reflection of overall health. Have you
noticed your grass change from a bright green to a dull gray or blue-green?
That can be an early indicator of drought stress. Another sign is when
your footprints don't spring back after you walk across the lawn. As the
effects of drought progress, the turf loses its green color altogether
and turns yellow, then tan. The tan or brownish color signals drought
dormancy.
Drought dormancy does not mean your lawn is dead. Because of the hot,
dry conditions, it has stopped growing in order to conserve its energy
for a more favorable time. But this stress does call for specialized treatment
to get your lawn healthy and attractive again.
Drought Stress Strategies
Here are some specific ways to help your lawn sustain the least damage
from drought:
- Do not mow your lawn if it is in drought stress. Because it has stopped
growing, there isn't enough moisture in the grass to protect the cell
structure from permanent damage.
- When weeds and weedy grasses seem to be the only thing thriving, you
might be tempted to raise the cutting height and mow the tall weeds.
But that can be one of the worst things you can do. In this situation,
mower wheels alone can break and damage the fragile grass blades, leaving
unsightly stripes across your lawn.
- At the point your grass begins to discolor and wilt, begin watering
it once or twice a week, delivering one inch of water each time.
- If your lawn has already gone dormant, protect the grass crowns by
lightly watering about 1/2-inch every two weeks. This light watering
will help keep the grass alive while it is dormant.
- If there is a watering ban in your area that prevents you from watering
at all altogether, your lawn will likely need intensive care when rainfall
resumes: special fertilization, core aeration and/or seeding to restore
its health and vitality.
Adding to Drought Damage
Insects
Insects can cause unsightly feeding damage. In particular, surface feeding
insects such as chinch bugs thrive in these hot dry conditions. Ordinarily,
a healthy lawn can tolerate their feeding activity without being harmed.
However, a lawn that is drought stressed can actually be killed from the
added damage caused by insects.
Weeds
Weeds are more likely to thrive in lawns that are heat-stressed. Although
your grass may not be growing, broadleaf weeds and weedy grasses may be
sprouting and spreading. Weed seeds lie dormant in the soil or blow in
from neighboring lawns, and germinate and grow when your lawn is thinned
by hot weather.
Winter Injury
It may be hard to think ahead to winter when its the middle of summer,
but a drought-stressed lawn is more susceptible to cold weather problems.
Bermudagrass and other warm-season grass lawns need to be watered sufficiently
during the fall growing season. Otherwise, they can be weakened and suffer
from winterkill. Continue watering your lawn until it turns brown this
fall.
Thatch
Over time, your soil can become compacted, contributing to a buildup
of thatch. Thatch interferes with the absorption of water and nutrients
into the soil. This limits the ability of the roots to grow, further weakening
your lawn. Thatch levels can be managed by core aerating on a regular
schedule (yearly or twice a year). Core aerating not only helps to manage
thatch, coring will also help the movement of water, nutrients and air
into the soil.
For help with your lawn, trees, and shrubs, schedule
a free lawn analysis from the experts at TruGreen
.
|
For help with your lawn, schedule a free lawn analysis
from the experts at TruGreen
.
|
|
