There are many reasons why your lawn may be looking dry. It could be because you have a low-maintenance type of grass, or it might just need some more water. Whatever the reason is, there are still ways that you can save your lawn from drying out and dying.
If these tips do not solve the problem for you, then it may be time for an irrigation system inspection.
Yes, the last thing you want to see is your lawn dry and brittle. If this sounds like your home, then you might be interested in learning some basic tips for how to improve the health of your lawn. Garden experts go over a few strategies that will help keep your lawn green and healthy all year long!
Table of Contents
Reasons Why Your Lawn Is Always Dry
When your grass is under stress, it’s a good indication that something isn’t right. They’re all not terrible, but here are some of the more common reasons:
- Improper watering;
- Burns after applying fertilizer;
- Because of dog’s or cat’s urine;
On the other hand, if you see that the grass on your entire lawn is drying up, there’s only one reason for it. It requires water. When you figure out that a lack of water is causing your lawn to dry up, you should immediately begin watering it to help it recover.
When you don’t water and fertilize your lawn on a regular basis, it will eventually become brown and die. When the soil in your grass doesn’t have enough water and food or if roots can’t use water and/or nutrients from the earth, grass will turn brown and die. Drought or high heat during the summer are the most common reasons for this problem.
When the quantity of water available to your lawn is limited during hot summer days, many types of grass typically go dormant. When it begins raining again and temperatures drop, your grass will recover quickly.
However, if the grass is too brown and weak, and it is likely to die during drought, you should take some measures to prevent complete devastation of your lawn [1].
What to Do If the Grass in Your Lawn Is Always Dry:
1) Use a rain gauge
You can also measure how much water grass receives from your lawn sprinkler system with this gadget. It’s important data to take into account while changing the sprinkler controller based on rainfall.
2) Don’t water your lawn too often
When it comes to watering, it is generally preferable to do so several times a week rather than every day. Well, if you water your grass lightly but frequently, its roots will grow shallow and your grass won’t be lush and vibrant as you desire.
The installation of a drip irrigation system is the ideal solution for hot days throughout the summer. A simple hose timer, on the other hand, can be used. Switch it on at set intervals to ensure that your lawn receives enough water throughout the summer and may enjoy your lovely and green yard all year round.
3) Choose the best part of a day for watering
If you’ve been maintaining your lawn for a while, you undoubtedly know that watering at dawn or dusk is the best time of day for that task. You’ll allow your grass enough time to naturally dry before the heat becomes unbearable.
Avoid sprinkling the lawn during the middle of the day since the sun might burn it and make your yard seem unsightly and feeble. However, if you water your yard late at night or during the night when the temperature is low, the dirt won’t dry enough. This is likely to cause grassroots to decay.
4) Prevention is always the best solution
Unfortunately, there is no magic solution to any problem. Prevention is still the finest answer for every issue, including a grass-drying problem in your yard.
Choosing the right grasses for the climate where you reside is one of the most pleasant options. Kentucky bluegrass, Bermuda grass, and St. Augustine are examples of the ideal grass species for a Mediterranean environment.
5) Use fertilizer
If you are looking to grow grass on a unique type of soil, there are many fertilizers that can help. There are certain circumstances when it’s suggested that you utilize the appropriate liquid lawn fertilizer to nourish and rejuvenate your lawn. It’s essential since this kind of lawn fertilizer includes a wetting agent, which helps water penetrate more quickly to the root system.
Additionally, it may help your soil retain moisture around the roots of your grass and make nutrient uptake easier.
The most efficient method to preserve your lawn during a long-term drought is to use an expandable hose each 15-20 days and apply at least 0.5 inches of water. To get beautiful, green grass as soon as possible, you’ll need to be more active and give your lawn one inch of water once a week on average. It takes roughly two hours of sprinkler time on average.
When your lawn is frequently dry as a result of long-term water scarcity, attempting to solve the problem by constant watering merely makes matters worse.
Why is it so? The solution is straightforward. It’s because your grass needs water for healthy development, but overwatering and sudden soil moisture might cause sick grass to grow [2].
How to Care for Your Lawn in Dry Conditions:
1) Don’t water your yard too much or too little
If you’re watering your grass excessively and you reside in a dry climate, you’re not allowing it to get used to its circumstances.
When you water your lawn every morning, you’re conditioning it to expect higher-than-normal levels of water. If this is the case, your yard will be unable to adjust to the dry weather and will not develop deep roots in the ground.
If you don’t water your grass, it will grow shallow roots that are near the surface of the ground. When your lawn isn’t given a sufficient amount of water on a daily basis, its short roots die swiftly, leaving long-term problems for your yard.
Additionally, the majority of the water you’re pouring on your plants is evaporating before it can enter the soil. This is a significant loss of water for both you and your lawn, and you may save money by using your sprinklers and hoses more effectively.
When you limit the quantity of water given to your grass, it will develop over time. The blades will grow deeper root systems that are more efficient in absorbing moisture from the earth by limiting how often you water.
Many people believe that their grass requires a lot more water than it really does. Even species of grass known for their water-loving qualities, such as Kentucky bluegrass (famous for their thirst-quenching abilities), can survive on less moisture than most people think.
To maximize absorption, experts advise watering your garden during the coolest hours of the day.
Watering in the early hours of the day before the high heat of the day allows time for water to sink into the soil and increases your grass’s chances of absorbing moisture.
2) Avoid watering your yard when the wind is blowing
On windy days, evaporation will be quicker than usual, which may result in waste. You can also water your garden too much on windy days without giving your grass any benefits.
The best practice is to water your grass once a week. If you water your lawn correctly and under the right conditions, you’ll get more use out of one watering each week than frequent shallow watering [3].
3) Don’t overly stress your lawn during droughts
Training your lawn to utilize less water might be only one of the many ways you use to combat droughts and arid climates. You can improve the health of your grass by employing other management techniques while avoiding droughts.
It’s critical to minimize your grass’s stress throughout droughts and hot summer weeks.
Many typical, daily tasks can irreparably harm your grass. Even when they get enough water, walking across the grass and mowing too frequently are two frequent reasons why a lawn appears unappealing.
Avoid big lawn care treatments of any kind during dry months. When your grass is dry and brittle, fertilizing, seeding or other activities are more likely to harm it.
4) Don’t let your pets, especially dogs, play on your lawn during droughts if you have them
It is understandable if you adore your pets, but they can severely damage your yard during dry periods. Instead of allowing them to do their business and play on your lawn, consider taking them to a dog park to do so.
5) Mowing your yard during a dry spell or in the summer won’t do any good
You should wait until it’s required before mowing it. Your garden will grow slower as a result of this, so you’ll need to trim it less frequently.
Mowing your lawn when it is dormant or dry can do lasting harm. It’s best to let your grass grow and avoid any treatments, mowing, and foot traffic to keep it healthy during the drought without causing undue stress.
6) Mow your lawn the right way
Don’t mow more than a third of the average blade length when you mow your lawn during a drought. If your grass is 3 inches high, for example, don’t trim more than one inch off the top.
You’ll decrease the chance of fungal development and poor soil conditions by cutting fewer lawns. When you mow too much of your grass, the lengthy pieces may accumulate on the ground and block moisture from seeping in when it is there. This can be harmful to your grass in dry weather.
During droughts, having the correct amounts of clippings on your lawn can significantly help your grass.
The clippings will decompose and nourish the soil as they do so, providing mulch and fertilizer. The clippings aren’t always the most aesthetically appealing aspect of your lawn, but it’s worth leaving them there for their benefit.
Tallgrass is crucial during drought because it absorbs more moisture and shades the soil, reducing evaporation and promoting better moisture penetration. Taller grass protects the soil from evaporation by shading it and helps to improve water penetration. It may help your grass thrive if you maintain it at a reasonable length.
7) Aerate your lawn
Water may have difficulty breaking through the surface of the soil to reach your grass’s root systems when it begins to look dried or brittle. These circumstances are more prevalent during droughts.
It may sound difficult to aerate your lawn, but it’s really not.
Water your grass fully for one or two days before you begin. During this time, lawn experts recommend applying at least an inch of water to your yard. It’s critical that your grass is moist before you start aerating. The soft, wet dirt will make it easier for your aeration device to penetrate the ground surface. This makes the process of aeration less difficult and physically demanding.
To finish the procedure, you don’t need an automatic core aerator, but it does help. Many garden shops rent out core aerators, but without any skill, hiring a professional lawn care company may be a better option.
Hand aerators, which are available from home improvement stores, can be used to aerate grass. You must wait until your lawn has eliminated the extra moisture from the pre-aeration step before proceeding with the last stage of the method.
You can press your hand aerator into the dirt without any soil sticking to the prongs when you remove it if your yard is ready to aerate. If inserting the hand aerator into the ground takes a lot of work, moisten the soil more before you start.
8) Use proper post-drought care
If you properly maintain your lawn during a drought, you can minimize any harm it receives the following season. Even if you know how to keep grass green in hot weather, periods of extreme dryness and heat may be harmful to your yard.
There are a few things you can do now to assist your grass recover more rapidly from the stress of drought after the wet season has concluded in your region. Fortunately, most sorts of grass will repair themselves even if they are severely damaged. The grass is exceptionally robust, and with good upkeep, it may thrive in dry environments.
The first thing you should do once the drought is over is water your grass. This is especially true if you live in an area with water restrictions during droughts. Once your lawn area resumes free access to water, you should aim to water your grass as quickly as possible.
If you water your grass as soon as a drought is over, roots can develop and your lawn will be healthier. If you live on a hill or mountain where the wind is strong enough to speed up evaporation and cause your grass to wilt, you’ll need to water post-drought.
To fertilize your lawn, use a broadcast spreader to distribute fertilizer. To provide your grass with the nutrients it needs, some garden experts advocate for a 4-1-2 nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium ratio. This might vary based on your particular situation and the sort of grass on your lawn.
It’s essential to maintain your lawn when you have a lot of rainfall. When you have a lot of rain, ensure that the soil is moist but not soggy or waterlogged. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers in arid conditions; they can harm your grass if sufficient moisture does not return.
Once your grass has recovered from a drought, it’s also advised to eliminate weeds. Weeds leech moisture out of the soil and make it harder for your grass to grow. Apply an herbicide to the weeds in your lawn (not the entire lawn), or pull them by hand as your grass becomes greener. There won’t be enough ground for weeds to settle in when your lawn is lush [3].
FAQ
1. How should you hydrate your lawn in spring?
Try to give your lawn 1 to 1-½ inches of water. It takes most automatic sprinklers an hour to properly hydrate your grass, but always double-check. Before watering your grass, fill an empty one-inch tall tuna can with water and place it in a location on the lawn. When you turn off the sprinklers, make sure the can is full again [4].
2. How do you keep your lawn from drying out in summer?
After approximately one week without water, your grass will begin to display symptoms of stress. In the summertime, you can generally count on the rain to satisfy your lawn’s needs, but it is common for entire weeks to go by with no rain at all during other seasons.
You may need to take matters into your own hands if the weather is poor and your plants are still wilting. As a result, you might have to water your yard on your own. Some garden experts recommend watering your lawn at least once a week, but no more than twice per week. If you water too often, the lawn will die quickly.
Here are a few more suggestions to keep in mind when your lawn is experiencing a drought [5]:
- If the surface of your lawn has dried out and become hard, it may have trouble with absorbing water. To ensure that the water can seep in, make a few holes in your grass with a garden fork before watering;
- The optimum time to water is first thing in the morning and mid-afternoon. Watering at night might put your grass at risk of disease;
- Maintain a regular cut of your grass, but raise the mowing height during droughts. Cutting the grass too short now will make it more fragile and less drought-tolerant;
3. Should you mow grass when it’s really dry?
When the grass is dry, it’s ideal to mow. When moisture from rain or morning dew dampens the blades, they bend, making a clean cut impossible. According to experts at Kansas State University, it is preferable to mow wet grass than allowing the grass to get too tall and then cutting it when it is dry [6].
4. What can I put on my grass to keep water?
Mulch will keep your plants’ roots cooler in the summer and longer hold moisture. Mulch is an excellent insulator and helps to keep your plants from getting burnt in the hot summer sun [7].
5. What is a wetting agent for grass?
Wetting agents function in much the same way as detergents or surfactants, decreasing the surface tension of the water, allowing it to soak in. They’re available as liquids or granules and may be added to grasses and top-dressing mixes. A wetting agent, such as Lawn Soaker, is required for hydrophobic existing lawns [8].
Useful Video: 8 Secrets To Keep Your Lawn Always Green And Healthy
References:
- https://www.thedailygardener.com/lawn-always-dry-solution
- https://www.thedailygardener.com/lawn-always-dry-solution
- https://lawnlove.com/blog/how-to-care-for-your-lawn-in-dry-conditions/
- https://www.greenspherelawn.com/lawn-care/how-to-properly-hydrate-your-lawn-in-spring/
- https://www.lawnweedexpert.co.uk/news/post/grass-drying-out-in-summer
- https://home.howstuffworks.com/10-things-you-should-never-do-to-lawn.htm
- https://spriggsbrothers.com/less-water-more-green/
- https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/lawn-care/need-use-wetting-agent-lawn-2