Is your lawn brown and dry?
Every so often we go through dry spells that leave our lawns completely brown. You may wonder if your lawn is dead or is it sleeping?
According to Dr. Eric Lyons, Director of the Turfgrass Institute, compliments of this video on The Weather Network, “One of the reasons we use turf grasses in our lawn is because they can survive drought. In fact the most common turf grass used in Canada is Kentucky Blue Grass. And generally if you’re not excessively trafficking or wearing that turf it can survive 7 to 9 weeks of drought and when the rains come it might take almost a month for it to wake up and start growing again but it will eventually.”
“That’s also why cities and municipalities have said you don’t need to water your lawn because you don’t. But if you want to use your lawn you need to water your lawn.”
“There are 2 times when we need to be concerned about our lawns. And that is when the drought lasts a little bit too long.”
“The other time that you need to be worried about your lawn is when there is a confounding factor on top of the drought.”
Mark Robinson, a Meteorologist and Stormhunter says, “Confounding factors can be parasites, lawn parasites or heavy traffic on the grass.”
“Drought is a big killer for lawns but there are a few things you can do to help out.”
Lyons says, “One of the things you should do is you shouldn’t water your lawn every day.” Watering your lawn daily will result in a shallow root system as the roots will remain on the surface when they are given lots of water. A shallow root system will dry out quickly and weaken your lawn.
It is recommended to water your lawn 1″ or 1-1/2 cm a week, one day a week.
If you think it’s going to rain you can skip a week and it will stay green.
Lyons says, “It is not good to water your lawn a little bit each day because as soon as droughts happen and water restrictions are put in place, you will be much harder off than someone who is watering once a week, deep and infrequent.”
Infrequent and deep watering encourages the root system to form deep and develop strong root systems beneath the ground, making your lawn more resistant to weather changes and lawn diseases.
Also, remember that when it is hot, it is ok to leave your grass a bit longer. The longer grass will shade the soil and help maintain moisture, which will help your grass be healthier amid the heat.
So, if your lawn is brown and dry, remember to follow these watering tips and practice some patience as your lawn slowly wakes up and thinks about growing again.
Sources:
The Weather Network, Video: The Weather Network: Lawn brown and dry? This watering method will keep it healthy
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