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Drought Stress
Lawn
We have had some customers call because they're concerned about the condition of their lawn. Although the beginning of spring was exceptionally rainy, so far May has been very hot and dry. This swing from one weather extreme to the other has been particularly hard on lawns. Spring is when the grass actively grows its root system, and an extra wet spring discourages this root growth simply because more water means the grass needs less roots. The extra rain also causes grass to go to seed, which uses extra energy. This combination of poor root development and extra energy-use towards seed head growth ends up hurting the grass when it suddenly gets hot and dry. The plants have less stored energy and a poor root system that cannot fight off heat and drought stress. It is important to make sure your sprinkler system is working properly and is adjusted to keep up with the heat. You will likely need to increase the watering times on your control clock, or turn up the seasonal adjustment percentage. Those of you who normally get away with watering every other day should switch to a daily watering schedule through the hot summer months. When switching from watering every other day to every day it is okay to water for less time on each zone. It is better to water daily for half as long than to water every other day at the normal amount. You use the same amount of water weekly but cool the soil temperature on the lawn every day which helps relieve heat stress.
The pictures below are examples of severe drought stress from this season already. Once the grass received water again, it began to look marbled. The areas that were stressed didn't green up as quickly as the rest of the lawn and the lawn took on a patchy appearance.
Trees and Shrubs
The same can be said for your trees and shrubs. If leaves are looking yellow or brown it is important to increase the amount of water going to them. They can dry out just as fast as your lawn, especially in poor soils. They may also need to be watered longer to ensure a good amount of water reaches the root zone. It is a good idea to dig down around the root ball with your hand or a hand trowel and make sure the soil is wet after being watered. Sometimes mulch deflects water or the ground is simply too dry and hard and water runs off and does not reach the roots, even though you watered that area heavily. Drip lines or soaker lines work best for watering your landscape.
Keep up with your watering, your lawn and plants will thank you.
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