Summer is decision time when it comes to your lawn. Do you want to have a lush, green lawn all summer, or should you let your lawn go dormant as a natural response to summer heat stress?
Summer is decision time when it comes to your lawn. Do you want to have a lush, green lawn all summer, or should you let your lawn go dormant as a natural response to summer heat stress?
A dormant summer lawn can save you water costs during summer and is a great alternative to maintaining a green lawn, especially if you have travel planned and not much time to care for your lawn. In hot parts of the country, letting grass go dormant is very common due to drought conditions and water usage restrictions.
Before you let the grass go dormant for the season, make sure it is in good health. Cut the grass relatively high and do not apply fertilizer. In order to put the grass in a dormant state, you need to withhold water and adding fertilizer without water can be harmful for the lawn.
Stop watering your lawn and allow it to turn brown. Although it looks dead, dormant grass can survive for about four weeks without water. To keep the lawn alive without bringing it back to green, water to about 5 inches deep every month. When you’re ready to bring the grass out of dormancy, begin watering again with a normal lawn irrigation schedule.
Leave a Comment