How To Keep Grass Alive in a Drought

There is nothing worse than having a wonderful lawn of lush green grass turn brown and crunchy. Then the horrid words fall upon your ears from the meteorologist. Drought.

Here are some weapons and tricks on how to keep your grass alive in a drought.

Mulch is a person's best friend during this time of woe. Mulch protects the roots of the grass from the heat. Once the roots get too hot the plant will die. Mulch will help retain the water longer, which will nourish your plants and fortify them against the punishing heat of a drought. Mulch should be applied lightly several times over the course of a month to give the grass time to grow, if the mulch is applied heavily at first the grass will die from lack of sunlight.

Water, of course, is the best thing for your grass. Twenty minuets early in the morning is a good habit to fall into to keep your grass alive in a drought. If you have a large lawn it is best to alternate watering areas with an oscillating sprinkler, every three days for hot temperatures, every other day for one hundred plus temperatures. If you have a large tree or several smaller trees your grass will have to compete with the trees for the water. You will need to up your watering by 10 min in those areas to keep your grass alive during a drought.

If you mow your lawn yourself use a mower that has a mulching blade on it. The mulching blade will chop the grass clippings up in to smaller pieces which helps insulate your grass against the heat and hold water in better by enriching the soil. Increase the height of the blade to keep your grass a little longer, this also helps keep the heat off the roots. It will reduce “scalping” which cuts the grass so short it turns brown and this will kill your grass faster during a drought. Mow your lawn in the evening to reduce the shock and give the grass time through the night to seal the cut ends without the sun baking them.

The fall before is the best time to apply a fertilizer that will strengthen the roots. The stronger and deeper the roots are the healthier the plant will be and the less chance it will die quickly. You can also apply fertilizer in the spring, or summer and it will give the grass an extra boost to keep alive in a drought.

If all else fails slowly replace your grass with Buffalo Grass, which sips water, is soft on the bare feet, and you will have almost no problems keeping your grass alive in a drought.