The All Turf Lawn Care team hopes that you have been enjoying this very HOT Georgia summer so far. Since the weather is so hot, we thought it would be a good time to talk about lawn stress.
Lawn Stress
We know it may sound strange, but lawn stress is a real thing. Lawn stress can occur from extreme temperatures, drought or lack of water, or overwatering. Even mowing your lawn can sometimes cause lawn stress. For example, if you mow your lawn during extremely hot weather it can stress out your warm-season turfs such as Bermuda voice and Buffalo grass. If you have cool-season grasses, mowing during this extremely hot weather can cause even more stress. Turfgrass experts tend to recommend mowing your grass at the highest recommended range during the summer season.
Signs of Water Stress
If you are unsure of what water stress looks like with your turf, it will appear as wilting or abnormal coloring in your yard. Plants in your landscape may also appear to have a gray-green foliage color and also be wilting. You can confirm that it is water stress by digging a small hole to see if the soil is wet, moist or dry (moist is the proper balance you want).
Watering
When it comes to watering, the general rule of thumb has always been to a) water deeply and infrequently, and b) to monitor the weather and your soil moisture in order to estimate how much you should irrigate. Following these simple rules can greatly reduce your risk of causing stress to your lawn.
In general, how your lawn responds during extreme temperatures and how quickly it bounces back (if it can), all comes back around to the preparation you made in the springtime. This is why year-round lawn care and lawn maintenance is very important.
For more information about identifying and correcting lawn stress, please contact one of our lawn care experts at All Turf Lawn Care today! We look forward to speaking with you and helping you to solve any of your summer lawn issues.
*To learn more about saving water and good watering practices, please take a look at the information available from the UGA Extension Office.
