Lawn Recovery

What’s happening with my lawn? We just had all this rain and it’s still brown!

Our New England lawns are generally a mix of cool-season grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fescue and Bentgrass.

Cool-season turf plants prefer to grow in air temperatures between 60-75 degrees and soil temperatures between 50 and 65 degrees. While it’s not unusual to exceed those temperatures during the summer, the challenge this summer has been extended periods of high temperatures combined with high humidity.

We’ve had another “Georgia” summer with prolonged heat, humidity and a moderate drought. Rain has been spotty with scattered showers and thunderstorms. The US Drought Monitor puts Western Mass in “moderate” drought. July is being recorded as the hottest month ever on record in the continental US.

 These weather conditions cause stress on the shoots and root system of cool-season grasses. Heat and drought stress cause roots to slow which affects the plants ability to absorb water and nutrients. If we had cooler, less humid nights, there would be greater chance for the turf to recover from the day-time stresses. Instead many lawns are suffering from heat stress, disease, weed invasion, or may have even gone dormant.

The good news is that the recent late July and early August showers and thunderstorms are helping lawns to recover from dormancy and to begin to fill back in. Many lawns that were totally browned out and dormant are showing signs of greening. Stressed lawns with patches of green and brown have green shoots starting to sprout up through the brown. While the “worst” of summer heat should be over, August will likely continue to bring heat and humidity. More frequent rain or irrigation along with shorter days will help with natural turf recovery.

Now is the time to consider the best plan to rejuvenate your lawn. September is the perfect time of year to repair, rebuild or replace a lawn. Core aeration helps turf to recover by opening the soil allowing more water, air and nutrients to reach the root system. Aeration is also the best way to control thatch by increasing natural microbial activity in the thatch layer.

Over-Seeding can be combined with Aeration to add new improved Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrasses. Adding improved turf-grass varieties helps to increase turf density and adds more resistance to diseases, insects and normal turf-grass stresses. The best way to improve or renovate a lawn is through “slit-seeding” where the lawn is verticut to create rows putting seed in contact with the soil. This method actually plants the seed and makes the most significant improvement in the lawn.

Whether your lawn rejuvenation plan includes seeding or not, late summer and fall fertilizer are critical to provide the essential nutrients for turf growth. A test of soil pH also helps to ensure nutrients are available. Liming an excessively acid lawn can make a big difference in lawn appearance and health. Contact the Weed Man today if we can help! For more information go to http://springfield-ma.weedmanusa.com/drought-recovery.aspx