The "dog days of summer" is the time our lawns face the most stressful conditions of the year.  There are 4 main issues your turf will go thru and most likely the reason why its under so much stress.

• Lack of water
• Heat stress in the soil/roots
• Fungus breakout
• Mowing too short

Watering:

Hydration is essential to your lawn’s health. Generally, running your sprinkler (or irrigation system) for 30 minutes 2 or 3 times per week in the early morning hours should suffice to keep your lawn in good health and color. Try to avoid night watering, if possible, as this can lead to disease issues in the lawn. It’s recommended that 1-2 inches of water be applied to the lawn weekly.

Heat Stress:

Heat stress occurs mainly through the hot summer months in which the soil heats up to undesirable temperatures and damages the roots and grass blades. The root system slowly pulls nutrients from the grass blades to stay alive causing the blades to dull and brown out. Keeping your lawn thick, mowed at a high setting 3”, and watering consistently will help eliminate heat stress.

Mowing:

When mowing your lawn, set the mower on one of the highest settings, one that leaves at least a 3” blade. Leaving the grass blades taller provides numerous benefits towards keeping the soil healthy and productive. Cutting too short will add stress to the lawn and cause color issues.  Also, be sure to keep those mower blades sharp!

Lawn Disease or Browning of the Lawn:

Brown spots begin appearing in even the healthiest of lawns due to disease, aka lawn fungus. Fungus can occur when our lawns experience extreme heat and/or night-time water sitting on the lawn. Fungus will typically present as brown lesions on the grass blades, creating large brown spots in the lawn. If the breakout is severe the fungus can cause serious long-term damage. Contact Lawn Cure to learn more about our Fungicide Program.

Stay cool out there!!