Va. (WSET) — Our area is plagued by either extreme or severe drought, and the dry weather isn’t good for much of anything, especially your lawn.
Experts say maintaining a healthy lawn is a balancing act. From watering to mowing, doing too much can put additional stress on your grass and dry it out even more.
Co-owner of Gary’s Garden Center, Nelson Garner, said the effects of the drought are already visible in many lawns.
He said the tool for lawn care is simple, but it has to be used correctly.
Water is essential, but not using enough of it can also cause problems.
“Ideally want to saturate the soil to about an inch and a half to two inches deep where the root zone on a good turf grass lawn is,” said Garner.
Experts also warn that watering at the wrong time of day can make conditions worse by heating the lawn even more.
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Owner of Champions Lawn Care, Cody Richmond, said timing is key.
“Do it early in the morning so the sun doesn’t sear it. A lot of people will try to water midday, and the sun is kind of like a magnifying glass,” said Richmond.
He also said checking your soil before mowing is important, because cutting grass when it is too dry can add stress.
An easy way to check is the old-fashioned screwdriver test. Stick a screwdriver about three to four inches into the ground, pull it out, and check whether soil particles are sticking to it.
If there are none, the root zone is dry and not a good time to mow.
“If you stick it in, you bring out a little mud, your ground has enough moisture to truly be healthy,” said Richmond.
When it is time to mow, both experts say to raise mower blades to about three to four inches to prevent cutting the grass too short.
“If you cut it down very low, or a lot lower than three inches, that allows sunlight to get down into the soil and actually dries it out that much faster.”
Richmond says lawn care often requires daily judgment depending on conditions.
“That’s how we’re tackling every day. I mean, we’re having the choice to choose whether to cut or not, and that’s how we’re going to have to do it.”
With hot and dry weather continuing, experts said proper lawn care can help keep grass in good shape throughout the summer.