Green Thumb

With the heat we've been getting lately, I'm sure you have seen your lawn suffer.  Ours had been going dormant before we got all that rain in late July.  But it's still as hot as ever out there, with several more weeks to go.  How do you take care of your lawn during the hottest part of the year?  There are four main things that you should do:

• Let it grow - leaving the grass a little taller helps the grass to fight water loss, strengthen it's roots, and shade out weeds.  It may look a little messy, but it's worth it if it helps to keep the weeds out.
• Don't fertilize - fertilizing now is a sure way to ruin your lawn.  Without plenty of water, fertilizing will scorch it.  Lawns need to focus on keeping their roots strong during the heat of the summer, not putting energy to growing fast.  When September rolls around, the lawn will appreciate some fertilizer.
• Water in the early morning - This way the water will get a chance to be absorbed into the ground.  If you water during the hot and dry mid-day, it will evaporate before it can get to the roots where it's needed. 
• Let it go dormant.  Yes, I know that sounds horrible.  But grass knows what to do to conserve energy.  Although it may look ugly, it will be fine.  It gets green very quickly once we get some rain. 

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