Homeowners Can Prepare Their Lawn for Possible Drought
Homeowners, armed with a weather forecast predicting severe
drought can take proper preparations that can greatly improve
the chances of their home lawn surviving, even with very limited
water. The Lawn Institute in suburban Chicago has assembled the
following tips to manage turf during a drought. - Reduce or
eliminate nitrogen fertilizer because at this time of year it
overly promotes leaf growth, at the cost of rooting activity.
Plan on fertilizing in the fall when top growth slows-down and
root growth increases. - Avoid all weed killers (herbicides)
because most can also lessen the vigor of grass roots, the last
thing you want to do prior to or during a drought. - Reduce
thatch and compaction as early in the year as possible so that
moisture and air can reach the roots as easily as possible.
Thatch can act like a sponge, capturing water before it reaches
roots while compaction will increase rapid run-off at the cost
of deep saturation. - Sharpen the mo