How to Keep Your Lawn Healthy During a Drought

Is your hometown currently experiencing a drought?

While some regions in the United States generate more rain than others, droughts can occur anywhere. Characterized by a prolonged period of little or no rain, droughts can wreak havoc on your lawn.

Unfortunately, you can’t control the weather, but there are ways to keep your lawn healthy during a drought.

Keep Mowing, But Raise the Blade

Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t stop mowing your lawn during a drought.

If you don’t mow it, invasive weeds will grow unchecked. Like grass, weeds require water. Many invasive weeds, however, consume less water than grass. Therefore, failure to mow your lawn during a drought will pave the way for weeds.

For a healthy lawn during a drought, you should continue to mow the grass but at a slightly higher blade setting.

Mulch the Grass Clippings

Rather than bagging the grass clippings when mowing your lawn, consider mulching them.

Most lawnmowers have two settings for the grass clippings: bag or mulch. Using the bag allows you to create a cleaner lawn by removing the cut grass clippings. During a drought, though, grass clippings can help to hydrate your lawn.

If you mulch the grass clippings back onto your lawn, they’ll absorb and hold moisture, some of which will be absorbed by the living grass.

Don’t Walk on Your Lawn

Try to avoid walking on your lawn as much as possible.

Lack of water will stress your lawn, and when stressed, your lawn will be more vulnerable to harm. Something as otherwise harmless as walking across your lawn during a drought could result in brown patches of dead or dying grass.

Furthermore, walking on your lawn during a drought will make the soil more compact, which restricts the amount of moisture it can hold.

Water During the Mornings and Evenings

As long as there’s not a water ban or restriction in your area, you can water your lawn to protect it from the effects of a drought.

Most experts recommend watering to a depth of about a half-inch every other week during a drought. The key thing to remember is that you should water during the mornings and evenings rather than in the middle of the day. If you water your lawn during the middle of the day, you’ll lose a substantial amount of water from evaporation.

Watering your lawn during the mornings and evenings, on the other hand, will result in less evaporation because there’s less sunlight.

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If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or