Drought-Friendly Tips To Maintaining A Green Lawn This Summer
You work so hard to keep your Seattle lawn pretty, lush and green only to have summer hit with a vengeance. All that effort you put into getting rid of the dandelions and clover seems to be all for naught with the heat and lack of rain. Your once-green lawn is now dry and crunchy! Don’t panic just yet. There are some things you can do to maintain your green lawn this summer. Our team at Greenwood Hardware is here to help you rescue your lawn from this very dry, hot summer.
Leave the Grass Long
You may be used to cutting the grass every few days or even once a week to a nice low level. Unfortunately, during drought conditions, that isn’t a good idea and you are going to have to get used to leaving your lawn a little longer than normal. Raise your lawnmower blade to a height of at least 3 inches. This will only take off the top bit of the blade and leave enough of the blades to create a nice shadow for the thirsty roots below. Shading the roots means there will be less sun beating down and drying up the earth.
Remove the Bag from the Lawnmower
When you do mow, take off the bag and let the grass clippings sit on the lawn. This is a natural mulch that will help keep the roots moist as well as the grass. You don’t want the sun beating down on your grass day in and day out. A little mulch will help protect it from the sun’s harsh rays, even if it doesn’t look quite as manicured as you are used to.
Don’t Panic When You See Brown!
It is inevitable you will see some brown spots in your lawn at the height of the summer. Don’t panic! The grass has gone dormant. It will spring back to life once the temperatures cool and the rain starts to fall. Water regularly and you will soon see the grass springing back to life. Avoid mowing the brown patches or allowing a great deal of foot traffic. Just let the grass enjoy its dormancy and be ready to bring it back once things return to the normal, wet conditions the Pacific Northwest is used to.
When your grass is green again, head into Greenwood Hardware and pick up some fertilizer that will help it bounce back to life. Never add fertilizer to a dormant or dry lawn! Come on in, or contact us today.