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September Newsletter
Back To School…For Your Lawn
Chances are, if yours is like 80% of lawns in the Miami Valley and the Midwest, your lawn looks a little something like the above photo. This is the extreme, relative to the hot dry weather of the past six weeks, but we’ve seen plenty like it.
We’ve had plenty of calls, too, with some very familiar questions:
- Has my grass died for good?
- Should I continue to feed and fertilize? All I have is crabgrass.
- What can I do to ensure that my lawn is healthy again for next spring?
All are good questions, and relative to the time of year and the beginning of school, we’ll equate the answers to your lawn as if it were going back to school.
First, chances are your grass, though brown from the intense weather, is perfectly healthy in its root system. Typically, it’s heat that turns grass brown, and not a lack of water. Dig down six inches and you’ll probably find adequate moisture to keep your grass alive, if not green. And so, it will come back with its color as soon as the temperatures subside and fall rains set in.
Second, by all means continue to feed your grass. Some have asked that lawn treatments be stopped because, in their words, “All I’m doing is feeding the crabgrass.” Well crabgrass has been particularly bad this summer, maybe the worst in a decade. But hot dry weather is the perfect condition for crabgrass to grow, and when the condition persists, there’s little anyone can do to prevent it. That makes it all the more important to feed the root system of your desirable grasses to keep them strong and ready to grow once cooler weather and rain returns.
Third, to ensure the health of your lawn for next season, continue to mow at a height above that which you normally mow. We’ve recommended that some mow ½ inch higher than normal. This relieves stress on grass. In addition, remember to give your lawn the nutrition needed to respond to the coming growing conditions we talked about. And, lastly, when the ground softens in late October and early November, a vigorous aeration helps water and fall nutrients get to your root system, and breaks up the compaction of your soil that comes from hot, dry weather and a summer’s worth of mowing.
Do these things and chances are your lawn will rebound just fine and return green and healthy next spring. As always, if you have specific questions, feel free to call the professionals at
Ever-Green (335-6418). As we like to say, the advice is free. Not knowing…can be very costly!
If your lawn looks like this, don’t despair, and don’t give up on it. Make sure you feed and prepare it to bounce back with the coming of cooler weather and fall moisture.
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