In the face of one of the worst droughts in over 50 years, homeowners are facing a national epidemic. Watching your grass dry out in front of your eyes can be very disheartening. However, knowing the correct precautions to take can ultimately impact the outcome of your lawn for the short term, and potentially help your lawn bounce back in the near future. Remember droughts don’t last forever, and there is hope for your lawn.
How to take care of your lawn during a drought?
Lawn Watering
As we all know, watering during a drought is crucial. However, some communities have water bans or shortages currently in effect. Even with the ability to use conventional sprinklers, they may not cover the area as needed. When watering is an option, water in the morning, because it allows your turf to get the maximum absorption without evaporation. Remember, just because the lawn is brown doesn’t mean it’s dead, it’s most likely in a dormant state due to the lack of water, and will return with proper maintenance.
Maintaining Equipment
By keeping a few key pointers in mind, you can help your yard through this difficult drought. First and foremost, maintain your lawn equipment. By keeping the blades of your mower sharp, you can get a cleaner cut to help the lawn grow and absorb water. Avoid walking traffic over brown areas; lawns are stressed enough without being trampled down affecting its ability to properly grow. Also, pay close attention to the thatch level, a high thatch level could potentially suffocate the whole lawn. By raking or aerating these areas, you can reduce thatch build up and maintain a healthy thatch layer.
An important reminder through this process is the drought will pass, and your grass will stop being stressed. However, in the future there will be more droughts and being prepared for the next one is just as important as taking care of your lawn through the current one.
Lawn Aeration and Weed Control
One of the biggest preparations you can make to make your lawn more heat-tolerant is aeration and overseeding. Through aeration, small plugs of soil are removed throughout the yard allowing air and water to better circulate into the ground. The removed soil plugs then lay on the surface and breakdown thatch on the top of the turf. Finally killing weeds throughout the year that soak up valuable water from the soil can help from shorting your grass valuable water to beat the heat.
By following a few of these quick tips you can help your lawn through the drought and still come out on top. Green Bee Lawn Care offers top of the line service to ensure that your lawn maintains its health and appearance, call today and let the helpful professionals at Green Bee Lawn Care answer all your drought and lawn related questions. In addition, Green Bee Lawn Care also offers aeration and overseeding to prepare for the future and help protect your lawn against heat and droughts.