Lawncare in Drought Conditions

Happy New Year . For the 1st Blog of 2022 we will look at the effect of this long hot/dry summer on our lawns and what can be done now and when some rain comes.

During a dry season ,many lawns will show initial symptoms of drought stress, they may look dead- visibly brown ,dry and limp- they’re often only dormant awaiting rain.

However even though we are in the middle of a long hot spell with little rain, lawns still need to be mowed. Its a good idea to cut your grass a little longer. longer grass blades help shade soil ,reducing evaporation and heat damage. The principle to keep in mind is that you should never cut more than the top third of your grass. As you mow leave the grass clippings on the lawn to retain vital moisture and nutrients to the soil.

When this dry spell finally ends the most important thing to do is reintroduce water to your lawn. By definition a drought breaks when it rains ,so your lawn’s 1st watering after a drought will be natural .Once you can return to irrigating your lawn if you are able. It is important to water correctly. Watering deeply and less frequently forces roots to grow deep and reach as much water as possible. Avoid shallow watering because it causes roots to spread out just beneath the soil and results in weaker turf.

So enjoy the sun and know that most lawns will survive once rain comes [Hopefully not this long weekend ;}  }