Weather Patterns and Turfgrass Maintenance

The homestretch of summer has taken hold in the southeast, with multiple day stretches of temperatures in the upper-90s. While temperatures have been scorching, summer rainfall has been frequent and is tracking to stay within the average for the month. While it is certainly important to keep up with these weather trends for the health and safety of people and pets, your grass and landscape plants also require proper response to weather conditions.

Planning irrigation, mowing, weed and pest treatment and fertilization is often weather-dependent. For irrigation, understanding the TOTAL water your lawn needs requires some adjustment in scheduled irrigation. In cases of heavy or prolonged rainfall, be sure to turn off pre-programmed irrigation systems to avoid the risk of damage to your grass. TOO MUCH water can be just as harmful as NOT ENOUGH.

With mowing, cutting during the hottest hours of the day can cause undue stress in the dog days of summer. Likewise, when experiencing drought-induced dormancy, mowing can be detrimental to your lawn.

Often lawn products that treat weeds or other lawn pests and diseases need to be “watered-in,” so many homeowners pay careful attention to weather forecasts when planning those applications.

Staying weather aware not just for safety, but also for lawncare, is essential to protect your turfgrass!