Tips For Saving Your Lawn From Drought

Written By Carli Holas

While droughts are more common in certain states than others, with more than half the country experiencing them, odds are that you’ll probably live through a drought in your life. If you live in Arizona, it’s something you’ll definitely experience, with there being one somewhere in the state every week. These periods of prolonged low rainfall can wreak havoc on an environment. They lead to water shortages that affect everything from crop growth to personal water usage.

The damage a drought can do depends on how widespread it is, but in nearly every instance, if you live in an area with low rainfall, your lawn could be at risk. Should you experience a drought, contact your local Pioneer Landscaping Center so we can help you maintain your lawn. Here are some tips to get started.

WHAT TO DO DURING THE DROUGHT

If you’re in the middle of a drought and you see it affecting your lawn, don’t panic. Here are some changes you can immediately make to help get your lawn through this dry period.

  • Delay lawn projects. Things like aerating and dethatching are important to a plant maintaining as many nutrients as it can in the longer term. During a drought, you need to think about the short term, and avoiding aeration and dethatching will let your lawn soak up the moisture it needs.
  • Delay fertilizer applications. Fertilizers can burn lawns, and this is the worst time to be burning your lawn. You particularly want to avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer more than anything else.
  • Remove any weeds. Weeds can destroy your lawn just with how much moisture they absorb during a period of rainfall. You should always be removing weeds, but especially during a dry period.
  • Water deeply but infrequently. Watering deeply helps the lawn retain moisture and reduce evaporation. When the sun is bearing down at its hottest, deep watering is the only way your lawn will get the water it needs. Do it too often and you’ll drown it, as ironic as that may sound.
  • Mow high and don’t bag clippings. You want to cut your grass so it’s about 2.5 to 4 inches. This allows your grass to grow a deeper and larger root system that will allow it to better find and retain the moisture it needs. Normally, you should bag the clippings after mowing your lawn, but your lawn needs moisture, and the clippings have some to spare. Just don’t let them clump together or get too thick. Spread them around your yard.
  • Remove dead grass. We just said leave the clippings, but don’t leave them forever. When you see grass that’s dried up either on top of your lawn or as a part of it, it’s time to remove it. Once it has no moisture to give, it needs to go.
  • Mulch your lawn. Mulching will retain more moisture and nutrients in your soil.
  • Maintain lawn equipment. Dull blades tear at grass, ripping them and their roots out of the ground. You want to sharpen or replace your lawn mower blades twice a year because no plant retains moisture after being uprooted from the ground.
  • Stay off your lawn. Weight will only make the lawn more compact, which makes it harder to retrieve nutrients.

WHAT TO DO AFTER THE DROUGHT

Maintenance doesn’t end once the drought is over. You need to continue to work to care for your lawn to make sure it recovers. A drought can leave lingering effects on your lawn that you need to take care of.

  • Water your lawn thoroughly. Now is the time to switch from watering deeply and infrequently, to frequently and lightly. You want your lawn to be regularly quenched but never covered in puddles or run-offs.
  • Fertilize your lawn. The lack of water and the nutrients it brings has left your lawn vulnerable to pests, weeds, and diseases. Right about now, after a few days of regular watering, some fertilizer could really help your lawn grow stronger.
  • Remove your weeds. You should always remove weeds. As you start watering your lawn regularly, your weeds will only grow and get worse. Remove them or they’ll make all that watering for nothing.
  • Return to routine lawn maintenance. After a week or more, resume consistent watering, normal mowing height, thatch removal, aeration, and fertilizer.

DON’T LET THE DROUGHT DRAG YOU DOWN

We want your lawn to live through it all, as green as it can be. If you ever need supplies or help in seeing your grass stay green throughout a dry time of the year, contact your local Pioneer Landscaping Center for a representative. We know how to help you.

Carli Holas