Where did the rain go?

What an amazing turn of events this year, so far. Through the spring, we were nearly drowning in rain. Farmers couldn’t plant their fields and we struggled to keep up between the storms. Then, out of nowhere, it all stopped. The National Weather Service is reporting that we have been in mild drought conditions since July and recently, we have gone 5 weeks (and counting) without any meaningful rainfall.

Why does this matter? Sure, unwatered lawns are brown. But the concern is more serious than the visual impact. The area where your lawn’s roots and grass blades meet is called the crown. The grass blades can be totally dormant from heat and drought, and as long as the crown is alive, the grass will restore itself after dormancy. Universities tell us the crowns need 0.1 – 0.25 inches of water per week to survive. Site conditions impact this; full sun locations need more water than shade.

We are bringing this to your attention so that you know the gravity of the situation. If you have been watering, please continue. If not, we are strongly encouraging you to begin watering. If you choose not to water now, there is a reasonable chance that some of your dormant lawn may not survive. We are at the point where the choice may be the lesser of 2 expenses: pay to water now and keep the lawn alive or pay later to repair and reseed what doesn’t recover.

If you choose to water, please be sure to:

• Water early in the cool of the morning, 6 – 10 am is best.
• Water each section thoroughly, at least 30 minutes per area.
• Reference your rain gauge we left this summer; 0.25″ is the minimum, 1.0″ is the ideal weekly watering amount.
• Mow as infrequently and as high as possible. If you hire out your mowing, tell them to wait until it regularly rains again.
• If you have any questions, or would like a new rain gauge, please reply or give us a call.

As always, thank you for being part of our Organic Turf Family and allowing us to serve you!

Questions? We’re here to help! You can reach us by phone at one of our 3 locations:
Cincinnati (513)330-8873
Columbus (614)500-8873
Dayton (937)667-8873