Do you remember when the sky would get super dark from heavy clouds, rain would fall, and sometimes there would be rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning? It feels like it has been a long time since we’ve experienced that in the Metro Atlanta Area. We’ve gone from a cooler and wetter than usual spring, straight into a hot and dry summer. Temperatures have been hovering around 85° since early in the month, and recently they’ve been reaching the mid-to-high 90s. Due to this extended period of dryness, the US Drought Monitor has determined that parts of the county is in a Moderate Drought.
Signs That Your Lawn is Stressed
You may have noticed that your lawn is looking duller than usual, and that that the color is looking more blue-green instead of the vibrant green that homeowners prefer. You might also notice that you can still see your footsteps in the grass after walking across your yard, and in more extreme cases your lawn might be increasingly “crunchy.”
Lawn Management Tips
- Water Deeply and Infrequently The best time to turn on irrigation is in the early morning hours- ideally before sunrise. Watering mid to late day may increase the chances of disease and pest problems. It’s more beneficial to water deeply for 2-3 days out of the week, than to water shallowly for 6-7 days out of the week because it guarantees that the roots are growing deeper in the soil rather than closer to the surface.
- Avoid Mowing Too Short Cutting your lawn too short can cause excess stress during drought conditions, so consider raising your cutting height to around 3 inches. Taller grass can shade root systems and keep the soil moist by reducing evaporation from the sun. Also, make sure that your lawn mower blades are sharp. Sharper blades will make cleaner cuts that heal better and cause less stress to the grass.
- Skip Fertilizing As I mentioned earlier, stressed grass will start to lose its bright green color and can even start turning brown. To combat this problem, we might want to apply a Nitrogen fertilizer to encourage new green growth. Unfortunately, that new growth will be tender and less drought resistant which means that your grass won’t thrive in dry conditions. Instead, hold off on fertilizing until the temperatures are cooler and nutrients can be taken up efficiently.
- Keep An Eye on Other Landscape Plants Watering your other landscape plants is very similar to lawns. Watering deeply a few times a week is more beneficial than watering for a few minutes every day. Be sure to water as close to the base of the plants as possible to avoid waste and prevent foliar diseases. Applying mulch around your plants can also help retain moisture and moderate the soil temperature.
There are scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for the rest of the week so some areas are going to get some much needed rain. Watch the forecast so that you can create a beneficial irrigation schedule.
Be safe and stay hydrated!
