Has your lawn drastically suffered from this summer’s drought conditions and local utility districts enforcing watering restrictions? If so, you certainly are not alone. Here at Aggieland Green, some of our customers have been able to maintain a regular watering schedule, combined with our lawn care program, which has kept their lawn lush and green. Unfortunately, others have not been so lucky. With degrees reaching 100+ for 27 days straight in the month of July, it didn’t take long for lawns receiving much less water to suffer. So, how can homeowners help their lawn recover now?
Drought Stress Recovery
Late Summer is the best time to focus on recovery from dry weather. Here’s why: temperature and moisture. Once the peak of the summer ends and we get a bit of relief from the scorching temperatures, plus a little help from mother nature, the recovery process begins. The time of the season is on our side, as we still reach warm enough days for the soil temperatures to heat your grass root systems and promote root growth. As we move later in the rest of the fall and winter, temperatures won’t be favorable to repair. Now is the ideal time to think about your drought recovery plan!
The Right Amount Of Water For A Healthy Lawn
Our summertime watering recommendations are 1 inch of water to 1 ½ inches of water per week. If we receive that from Mother Nature herself, then great! If we receive some but not all of the weekly recommendations, turn on those irrigation systems to make up the difference.
Enough water is key for healthy lawn grasses. Be sure you are focusing on your sprinkler system’s output, not necessarily the runtime. You can always run a test cycle using a rain gauge to see exactly how much moisture your system is putting out, and then adjust your run times accordingly.
We always recommend deep and infrequent watering over daily, short, shallow sprinklings. Deep and infrequent watering habits help to promote strong root systems that grow deep into the organic matter or your soil.
Another tip: try the cycle and soak method to reduce run-off and waste. We also recommend watering early in the morning, as close to sunrise as possible, and never at night. Watering at night when temperatures are cooler reduces the water’s absorption into the soil and can promote disease activity. While we cannot control the time of day that we receive rainfall, controlling the moisture output where we can is beneficial.
How A Lawn Care Program Works
Lawn health is a science, and in addition to proper watering practices, a lawn care program can help your lawn green up and be drought resistant in the future. Our lawn care programs are carefully curated to work as comprehensively, and proactively, as possible.
During this time of the season, our services include proactive treatment against lawn damaging pests, weed control, and fertilizers. As we continue to move into the late summer and early fall, we will be treating to suppress and prevent disease pressure that can further damage grass blades, such as Brown Patch.
If your lawn is already on the downhill side of things from the drought, your warm-season grasses will be extra susceptible to diseases (for Zoysia and St. Augustine). If left untreated, your lawn will struggle greatly to recover. We may also include some fertilization to help promote growth and recovery.
As we move into the end of this season, we will include proactive herbicide treatments, called pre-emergents, for winter weeds, which will take over the lawn during dormancy this winter, if you have not had weed control treatment.
Additional Recommendations For Drought Stress
Considering incorporating a Fall Liquid Aeration into your lawn care services is recommended. Liquid aeration works just like core aeration, but on a less invasive scale. Liquid aeration penetrates the soil, alleviating compaction by creating tiny pore space throughout your soil’s profile. It also promotes a natural dethatch process. This pore space is what allows for air, water, nutrients, and fertilizers to be able to work their way down deeper within your soil profile, encouraging the root systems of your turfgrass to dive deeper. Deep root systems are more drought tolerant and also more disease tolerant.
Aggieland Green also offers programs that cover the health of your trees and shrubs, such as fertilization, insect, and disease control. Your landscapes suffered from the drought as well, so don’t forget about considering giving those some TLC, too!
Is This The Right Time Of Year To Worry About My Lawn Needs?
As we mentioned above, this is the ideal time to get started if you aren’t already on a lawn care program. Rains are the best course of moisture your lawn receives, so showers are welcomed and will be perfectly paired with our treatment plan.
Don’t wait! If you wait too long, your lawn will continue to face stressors and the window to repair itself will get slimmer and slimmer. If you think your lawn is too far gone… don’t fret. Try us out anyway! We do not require a contract, so you can cancel at any time if you are not satisfied.
Keep in mind, that the recovery period will depend on the extent of the damage to your lawn – every lawn, soil composition, and watering schedule is different. There are also other factors at play, like mowing practices.
If you start now, you have a small window for recovery in the current season but are also in good shape as we head into next spring and summer.
Your alternative to a lawn care provider would be a total landscaping overhaul, which is very expensive, especially with the demand that will happen this fall and next spring thanks to this summer’s drought. Call us today at 832-246-7636 to learn more.