The forecast is for hot and hotter with little to no chance for rainfall.

We haven’t had a ¼” rainfall in the Oklahoma City metro area for three weeks, the abundant soil moisture of early June has faded, and much of the landscape is starting to show signs of stress.

Hey! Your grass, shrubs, flowers and trees have been whispering amongst themselves.

They want to know “What is your plan to make sure we survive the next few weeks?”

What they need is not much different than what you need in the heat… hydration, nutrition, and to avoid stressful activity.

It’s that simple… your lawn and landscape needs hydration, proper nutrition, and to avoid as much stress as possible.

Here are a few hot tips to help:

Mowing

Mow your lawn on the recommended highest setting for your type of grass. Your turf does better in the heat at the optimal height.

Bermuda, maintain between 2-2.5”.
Fescue should be maintained at 3-3.5”.

Leaf blades are 80-90% moisture. When you increase the amount of leaf space, it is as if you are giving your lawn a water bottle to take small sips throughout your day.

Grass maintained at the optimal height will also have the strongest root system. Cutting below the leaf blade into the stem creates additional stress and results in a reduction of root density.

Additionally, taller grass will shade the soil resulting in cooler soil temperatures and moisture retention.

Sharpen your mower blade. A dull blade tears the leaf making it more susceptible to stress and disease.

Mow often enough that you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the blade off. If you are trying to maintain your lawn at 2”, mow before the lawn exceeds 3”, etc. When you cut too much off at one time the lawn will use nutrients stored in the roots to produce more leaf space. This results in a weaker root system at a time of the year when your lawn needs strong roots. If you fall behind, raise your mower up, then mow again a couple of days later at the desired height.

Don’t bag the clippings when you mow. Allow the clippings to decompose on the soil returns moisture and nutrients back to the root system. Leaving your clippings is like applying a slow-release fertilizer to your lawn each time you mow. Always remove any noticeable, excessive clippings.

Watering

Deep soakings are always best. Short, shallow watering is detrimental to your lawn and landscape in the heat. The healthiest landscapes are watered to the point of runoff and then allowed to dry for a day.

Except for newly planted trees, shrubs and lawns, daily watering is not beneficial, even in 100-degree heat.

Water in the early morning, not in the evening. Watering in the evening increases the potential for disease adding stress to your lawn.

Lawns need 1-1.5” of water per week.
Flowers, shrubs and trees need 1-2” of water per week.
Trees planted in the last two years need 10-20 gals per week in the hottest times of the year. This may require a slow soaking hose placed at the base of the tree once per week even if you have an irrigation system.

How long do you need to water to apply 1-1.5” of water per week? Every irrigation system is different. Head types, nozzle size, head spacing, shade/sun, etc., all make it hard to have one answer for all.

The best way to know how long you should water is to measure the amount of water your system puts out in each zone by placing a few cans around your lawn in a random pattern. Run your sprinklers through a cycle and measure the amount of water in the cans and do the math. If your sprinklers ran 15 minutes and you have .25” of water, you need to run that zone for 60 to 90 minutes each week.

All sprinkler systems need an occasional adjustment during periods of drought for lawns to look their best. A small adjustment to a nozzle would keep this lawn moist all the way to the walk.

The goal is to water deep. If you could run the zone for 90 minutes one time per week the result would be a healthy lawn with a deep root system. But, with our tight soil and sloops, you will need to divide the total run time by three and water on your designated ODD/EVEN day.

Don’t have the time to do a water audit? Start with these general settings, monitor, and adjust:

Fixed spray pattern heads with 10-15’ spacings – 15 to 20 minutes per time.
Rotor type heads on 20-30’ spacings – 30 to 40 minutes per time.

One way to water deeper with less runoff is to split the total run time into two back-to-back run times. Set the first start time to come on early in the morning with half the minutes each zone normally runs. Set a start time an hour or two later. When the system completes the first cycle, it will automatically run through the zones another time.

What is wrong with this picture? There is a sprinkler head located in the green turf area at obviously needs to be adjusted to properly reach the edges of the lawn.

If you are noticing areas where the lawn is losing color while areas near are keeping good color, check the soil moisture in the area and what the system run. It could be your system needs a few adjustments to improve the water distribution.

If you don’t have the ability to water, if the cost of water just doesn’t fit the budget, or if your municipality restricts watering, we understand. Healthy lawns that are not watered don’t die, they just go dormant, including fescue. Lawns with strong root systems will recover when temperatures cool and moisture returns.

Should you need to cut back on watering, continue deep soaking, just do it less often. It would be better to water every 4 days on your designated ODD or EVEN water day than to water every other day for a shorter period.

Shallow watering in an effort to reduce your water bill isn’t good for your lawn. Shallow watering promotes a shorter, weaker root system that is very dependent on frequent watering.

Fertilizer

Bermuda lawns can be fertilized at this time of year, but only with slow-release fertilizers.

Watering the fertilizer into the soil with a good deep soaking is very important. Turf burn occurs when fertilizer is lightly watered resulting in partially dissolved fertilizer sitting on the leaf blades causing burn.

With slow-release fertilizer, no water is better than light moisture.

Fescue should not be fertilized at all in the heat.

Trees and shrubs should not be fertilized again until the fall.

Weed Control

Herbicides to control and kill weeds need special care during periods of extreme heat. Weed control products always create some stress on the lawn and during periods of high temperatures the stress is magnified. The goal is to kill the weed with minimal stress to the lawn because a healthy, thick turf is the first step toward a weed free lawn. Stressed turf, weak turf, leads to more weeds. So, while the lawn is under stress due to heat and/or drought, the first goal is to protect the turf.

A fresh 2-3” of mulch will cool the soil and retain moisture around your landscape plantings.

This week we visited several lawns where clients were concerned about declining turf. Many were concerned last year’s army worms had returned. But, in every case, we discovered lawns suffering from lack of moisture. Some were the result of short, shallow watering habits while others had dry areas due to uneven distribution of water.

Our goal is to help your lawn and landscape survive the heat and drought of an Oklahoma summer. Your landscape represents a big investment of time and money creating an outdoor environment. Not only does your trees, shrubs, and lawn add curb appeal to your home, there is the added benefit of lower temperatures created by the green environment surrounding your home.

If you have questions or need help, give us a call or respond to this email.

Lorne Hall

Hall | Stewart Lawn + Landscape

(405)367-3873