It can be frustrating to watch our lawns turn from lush green to crumbling straw during a stretch without rainfall . When coupled with watering restrictions , it can be disheartening to say the least . But there are strategies we can apply to get our lawns safely through the heat of summer and drought until rain income tax return and cooler temperatures persist .
How much water does a lawn need in summer?
In the heat of summer , cool - time of year grasses turn browned . It ’s what they do and is not of necessity a sign of a die lawn . Warm - season Gunter Grass , on the other script , will stay green during summer , assuming your heatwave is n’t extreme and you ’re not in a severedrought .
You might be surprised to learn that lawns need very small water in the rut of summer to survive . As they ’re dormant at this clip ( responsible for the brown color ) , growth above and below the soil line of credit intimately comes to a halt . The grass slows its growth to maintain water so that when cooler temperatures render , it has the resources to start growing again .
When dormant , a lawn only needs about 1/4 - 1/2 in of water every 2 - 4 weeks ( 0.63 - 1.2 cm).This is enough to maintain wet in the roots and crest to lease the turf survive until conditions improve . It ’s sure as shooting potential to keep the lawn souse and green during this meter , but it will ask inches of water every week at a time when water is becoming a scarce resource .
How to maintain your lawn during a drought
This is the sort of thing that mass who love to tinker hate to hear : do less .
If drought is a persistent problem, consider an alternative to lawn turf.
Turf planted in arid areas and areas prone to drought is no longer sustainable , and likely never was . weigh replacing your turf grass withnative plantsthat are drought - repellent and appropriate for your region . This will not only economize water but will be much easier from a maintenance standpoint . See our suggestions for lawn replacement here .
Mow lawns higher in the summer heat and less often.
During the dog days of summer , only turn off your lawn if it ’s reached 3″. This might not happen for 3 - 4 workweek if it ’s very hot and without rain . Set your mower deck of cards to 2.5″-3″ ( 6.3 - 7.6 cm ) so that mowing is less frequent but regular . Taller blades of pot gain the lawn by shading the soil to conserve moisture and insulate grass ancestor . If you have lots of thatch in your lawn , drought focus will show up a luck preferably . Rake out the thatch , aerate your lawn , and bestow compost to stimulate the biologic body process at the soil Earth’s surface to get rid of it .
Use a sharp mulching blade on your mower
bulge grass trimming is such a waste material . Mulched Gunter Wilhelm Grass clippings feed your lawn , return organic matter to the soil , and insulate the soil .
Water efficiently.
Never irrigate your lawn if less than 3 week have passed without rain . If you water , only do so when the Gunter Grass begins to droop ( wilting leafage blades fold in half lengthways and take on a blue - gray people of colour ) . H2O early in the morning – right after sunup – when the grass can most easily use it and very little H2O will evaporate . And water deep and infrequently – this is far more effective for the smoke than watering a few prison term a week for a unretentive time each . If you do reverse on the faucet , water mildly – only apply it at a rate at which the soil can absorb it . If the soil is baked intemperately from summertime heat , weewee very tardily to give it time to soak in . Otherwise the water system will run off your soil like it does the pavement . employ a rainfall standard of measurement to measure how much water the lawn get ( 1/2″ or 1.2 cm should be your goal and no more ) and do not overwater .
Never fertilize your lawn in summer heat or drought.
If your lawn is in any condition to use the nitrogen ( it may not be ) , the fertilizer will cause a blossom of top ontogenesis , which is precisely what you do n’t want at this meter . Wait to fertilize until temporary cool and rainfall restitution in the fall .
source : Managing Lawns During Drought , University of Illinois Extension;How Do I Keep My Lawn Alive in a Drought ? , University of New Hampshire;Lawn Care During a Drought , South Dakota State University Extension;Lawn Management During Drought , University of Florida Gardening Solutions;Lawns : Care During Drought , Royal Horticultural Society;Home Lawn Watering Guide , University of Missouri Extension .
