With about 75% of Minnesota in a moderate drought, lawn care and water conservation are on gardeners’ minds. It’s important to remember that the grasses we successfully grow in Minnesota are cool season grasses meaning they actively grow in cooler temperatures such as we see in spring and fall. Mid summer heat and drought (now) cause our grass species to stop growing or grow very little and turn a little brown. So don’t be too alarmed if your lawn is not the lush green carpet - it will be in a few weeks as temperatures start to cool down.
Lawn tips:
- With soil moisture low, continue watering an inch every 10 - 14 days, increasing the time between watering as lawns near dormancy this month. During dormancy, Kentucky Bluegrass can tolerate up to 60 days without water, and fine fescues can go about 4 weeks before watering 1/2 inch to keep crowns alive.
- Raise your mower height and mow less often (or not at all) to minimize damage to grass already struggling with the heat and low moisture conditions.
- Treating weeds in the lawn will cause additional stress on the grass, so only spot-treat if absolutely necessary, if the weed is actively growing.
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