Lawn Care During Times of Drought

Growing a green, healthy lawn during summer months is something most homeowners prioritize. But as drought becomes more common across the United States, lawn care needs to shift as well.

Learning how to care for your lawn during drought and dry seasons is vital to help conserve water and still enjoy your grass. If you’re wondering how to strike this delicate balance, keep reading! We have all your lawn care tips during a drought below.

1. Mowing

There are a few key mowing tips to follow for mowing your grass during a drought. First, it’s important that you make sure your lawnmower blade is sharp. While this might seem unnecessary to many homeowners, it’s actually a vital step to a healthy lawn.

A dull blade ends up ripping through the grass blade, creating stress and weakness in your grass. And when scare water is already creating stress, you can end up damaging your lawn beyond repair.

It’s also important to mow high. Set your lawnmower to its highest setting and only remove the top third of the grass blade each time you mow. Again, this keeps your grass healthier and encourages deeper roots.

Deeper roots matter during drought, as it helps the grass be more resilient. During drought or other times of stress, this can keep your grass alive!

2. Fertilizing

When it comes to fertilization, it’s a good idea to delay or even skip this step during a drought. When grass is already struggling to grow from lack of water, the last thing you should do is encourage it to grow more.

Instead, you should also leave grass clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them after you mow. This can help trap moisture and nutrients on your lawn, helping it continue to grow.

3. Watering

One of the biggest wastes of water is ineffective watering of your lawn. The EPA estimates as much as 50%!

It’s important to have a watering schedule to help address this. Water early in the morning, before 9 am, to prevent evaporation during the heat of the day. Also make sure you’re only allowing water to fall where needed, and not on sidewalks or hardscape.

You don’t want to overwater to the point of runoff. Not only does this wastewater, but it also can result in weaker grass. Instead, water deeply and infrequently.

Your watering practices can help to create deeply rooted grass that is able to withstand longer dry periods.

4. Landscape

When drought continues year after year, consider replacing your lawn with hardscape features that don’t require water. You’ll still be able to enjoy your lawn and outdoor space, but use less water as a result.

If hardscape isn’t for you, make sure you’re planting drought-resistant plants and grasses. These are better able to withstand the stress of heat and less water.

Tips for Lawn Care During a Drought

Remember that grass is resilient and you can even let your lawn go dormant during the summer heat. Just because your lawn goes brown doesn’t mean it’s dead! Your lawn may look different from year to year, depending on the environmental conditions.

If you’re ready to get the lawn of your dreams and create outdoor living space, reach out to us today! Our team is here to help with everything from lawn care and maintenance, to snow removal and installing patios. We look forward to hearing from you.

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