Ah, the dog days of summer are upon us! We love all that summer brings – warm summer nights, spending time with family and friends, grilling on the patio, family trips, and much more. Your grass may be the furthest thing from your mind as you enjoy languishing poolside with a cool beverage.
Your grass is on our minds, though, because before you know it the summer heat will have gotten away from you, causing a panic as you realize your lawn doesn’t look so good. Before you get swept away by the good times of summer, we’re here to remind you of what can happen if you don’t realize how dry it really is, and make a plan now.
Due to longer days and increased temperatures, the rate of water evaporation from plants increases. During periods of heat and drought, grass works harder to draw in water from the soil and it may not get enough moisture to meet its transpiration needs, leading to stress and eventually damage.
You may first notice your grass sounds “crunchy” when you walk on it – and you may leave footprints that don’t spring back up. This is a sure sign that your grass is too dry and is stressed. It may look brown or yellow, a bit like straw. You may see cracks in the soil and eventually the growth slows or goes dormant.
The difference between drought stress and drought damage is considerable. We can mitigate drought stress by watering regularly. Those stressed areas should come back to green, albeit perhaps a little thinner than before. Once you’ve gone as far as drought damage, the only way forward is to aerate, overseed, and possibly compost in the fall to replenish those bare areas.
In addition to watering properly, it’s important to stay off the lawn during periods of drought stress, raise the mower height to 3-4 inches to allow grass to shade the soil, and stop mowing when grass goes dormant.
Let us know if you have questions about how to care for your lawn during the summer months!
