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3 things to do now for a greener lawn in July and August

3 things to do now for a greener lawn in July and August

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With spring becoming ever more evident and the final snow patches melting away, your lawn starts to wake and change from its golden dormant hue to a brighter healthy green. But the question many people have as they observe these changes is how to keep the grass healthy and green after the cooler weather gives way to summer heat.

As spring gives way to summer, lawn maintenance increases dramatically. But, did you know that the best thing you can do for your lawn now is to prepare it for the heat of the summer? How do you get it ready?

In Utah, 90% of our lawns are cool-season grasses. These types of grasses thrive in the cooler parts of the year and struggle in the heat. That is why our lawns green up readily in the spring and fall yet turn yellow as the temperatures climb. Typically, when lawns start to yellow, they are not dying, they are trying to go dormant. Our lawns are actually extremely drought tolerant in that they can go dormant (yellow) and can live with very little water. But who wants a yellow lawn during the part of the year when you’re outside most? Not a lot of us. To combat this and keep our grass green we start pouring on the water, which with proper lawn training isn’t necessary.

Here are three easy, inexpensive things you can do this spring to get your grass ready for the heat while also ensuring we the limited supply of water more efficiently.

Let your lawn stress a bit

This may sound odd, but the best thing you can do right now for your lawn is to let it go as long as possible without water. Our soils are still nice and wet from the precipitation we received in winter and recent rainstorms. Soil is like a reservoir for plant roots. When the reservoir is full, it’s full. Adding more water won’t do anything. It will either drain out of the root zone or runoff, never benefitting the lawn to begin with. Let your soil get dry before watering. Try holding off watering the lawn until Mother’s Day or even later depending on the weather.

Letting the soil dry out a bit by waiting if possible before you water forces plant roots deeper into the ground. The same principle applies later in the fall by not watering as frequently when you do water. These deep roots will help keep your grass nice and green once it gets hot. Watering every day encourages shallow roots (why would they go deep when they don’t have to) and thatch. Thatch prevents water from permeating into the soil and shallow roots dry up quickly in the heat, causing individuals to think that they need to water more frequently.

Why is this a good time of year to let your lawn stress a bit? Because it’s still cool, meaning you won’t see the effects of the stress as much now compared to trying to train your grass to grow deep roots in July and August.

Aerate

As mentioned above, thatch can be an issue. Contrary to popular belief, thatch is not dead grass clippings that have been allowed to fall during mowing. It is made up of tiny surface roots that make a mat-like layer at the surface of the soil that doesn’t let water through. What causes it? Overwatering and too much fertilizer. Aerating your lawn once a year with a core aerator is a good habit to get into. You may want to do it twice a year if you have heavy soils (like clay) or compaction issues. Those with sandy soils or good irrigation practices can often get away with aerating only every other year.

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Fix your irrigation system

This may seem obvious, but as we’ve visited homes we’ve noticed many dry spots are a result of mismanaged or poorly designed irrigation systems. These spots are often the result of sunken, tilted, broken, clogged, or turned irrigation heads, or sprinkler heads being spaced too far apart on install. Fix everything right now to avoid ever getting those pesky dry spots.

Do a monthly audit. Turn on each of your zones and see if your dry spots are even getting hit by sprinklers. Most of us want to be water efficient so we water during the night, as a result, we often don’t see how our sprinklers are doing, remaining oblivious to maintenance issues that need to be fixed. Be informed and involved, test your sprinklers during the morning or evening and look at what’s going on.

Free water audits are available through Weber Basin Water Conservancy District for homeowners living in Weber, Davis, Morgan, and Summit counties. Call 801-771-1677 to schedule one yourself.

By doing these three things, letting your lawn stress a bit, aerating, and auditing your system on a regular basis, you can have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood this summer. All without too much time, money, or water being wasted. Let’s keep our lawns green and happy the healthy way.

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Brandview
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

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