Taking care of a landscape is hard enough when the weather is on your side. When a drought hits, it might become harder to do so. From your grass losing color to reduced resistance to pests and diseases, you might easily start yearning for the weather to get back to normal. As if nothing could get worse, some locations have water rationing laws that you need to follow.
Sure, planting a drought-tolerant landscape can help keep your yard looking green, but this won’t help you if you have a normal landscape. Luckily, there is still a lot you can do to keep your garden looking great when the odds are against you. Besides, you will only need to weather this bad season in preparation for landscape-friendly seasons.
Here are a few tips to keep your lawn looking amazing:
Adequate Water Is Essential For Yard Maintenance Rohnert Park
When drought hits, you need to ensure that your plants get enough water- at least one inch of water per week. This can be done in two sessions. If you are using a sprinkler to do so, you might have to water the plants for a few hours in each of the two sessions. Small watering sessions of 15-20 minutes might not be enough, as water will barely make it into the roots of the plants.
Your watering schedule will also affect your plants’ health, especially if you have to work against water restrictions. Watering between four and seven o’clock in the morning will help keep your plants healthy while avoiding evaporation from the midday heat. Since the water will be deep-seated in the soil, this will allow the roots to grow into the soil to get to it. In turn, this reduces their susceptibility to burning out.
Reduce the Traffic On Your Lawn
Life is hard enough for your lawn without the added foot traffic. Add this, and the grass will be exposed to more traffic, leading the need for future renovations- if the grass survives at all. If possible, restrict your parties to the patio.
In case you have kids, encourage them to play away from the grass. Once the drought passes, these simple sacrifices will be worth it.
Watch How You Fertilize Your Yard
Ideally, you should use nitrogen-rich fertilizer to fertilize your plants. This will produce plants that are deeper-seated, greener, and lower in salt. Healthy soils tend to contain microbial and macrobial life, and most of these animals don’t thrive well in salty environments.
Your rate of fertilization also matters, and moderation is key. If you over-fertilize your lawn, you will either kill it or turn it into a jungle.
Be Prepared For Lawn Recovery
By nature, your lawn is supposed to grow dormant during the drought period- as a way of self-preservation. In this period, it reduces the rate at which it uses resources. Once the drought passes, and you provide enough water and care to your lawn, it will grow regularly and turn green once more.
As such, you need to start preparing for the end of the drought months by stocking up the necessary yard maintenance Rohnert Park materials. For instance, the soil will require aeration to ensure that moisture, air, and nutrients make it to the grassroots. In areas of thinning turf, you might also need to overseed or reseed the affected areas.
Saving water and having a green lawn are actually strategies that can co-exist. In turn, you get to enjoy an amazing landscape when the odds are against its growth. Furthermore, if you maintain a green yard, you won’t have to replant your landscape once the drought passes. You don’t have to do all this yard maintenance by yourself. Feel free to contact yard maintenance Rohnert Park professionals to help your yard survive the drought.