June 3, 2010

Severe Drought/Water Alert!

Water now...pay less.  Water later...pay more.

Due to this being the second driest and warmest spring on record, many turfs have been suffering severe drought stress early this year.  We have been seeing drought stress on both types of properties:  lawns that have had fertilizer and weed control treatments AND lawns that haven't had any services performed.  Also, because of the unusually high temperatures and so little rain thus far, insect activity such as, chinch bugs and sod web worm, is reproducing at a dramatic rate. These insects love hot, dry conditions and they can do a lot of damage to your lawn in a short period of time.  Typically, we do not see this volume of insect activity, nor the extent of damage on turfs, until July or August. 

We are extremely concerned about the drought stress which causes increased insect activity.  This can lead to  turf damage that may ultimately require additional expense in re-seeding.  We strongly urge you to be diligent in watering your lawn on a daily basis.  In normal conditions, it takes a minimum of 1 - 2 inches of water per week to keep our lawn looking nice.  Given our current drought conditions,  it will take a lot more water, perhaps as much as 2 - 4 inches or more per week to help your lawn recover.

Because the variety of grasses we have in this area are cool season grasses, they respond much better in cool temperatures.  With temperatures on the decrease this week, turfs will respond favorably to as much water as possible, especially on properties that have a sand based soil.  If you continue to see a yellow/brown patch in your lawn that has not responded to more than a week or two of extensive watering, please call our office. 

As we partner with you and your lawn care needs, we want to be proactive in communicating with you the importance of watering during these drought conditions and the effectiveness of doing so while temperatures are cooler.  Remember, insects can do a lot of damage to your lawn and may not be visible until it's too late. 

Water now...pay less.  Water later...pay more.