Drought Relief

Drought is dangerous for any landscape, because drought-stressed lawns are more susceptible to damage from disease and insects.

The color of your plants is a reflection of overall health.  Have you noticed your grass change from a bright green to a dull gray or blue-green?  That can be an early indicator of drought tress.  Another sign is when your footprints don’t spring back after you walk across the lawn.  As the effects of drought progress, the turf loses its green color altogether and turns yellow, then tan.  The tan or brownish color signals the hot, dry conditions, it has stopped growing in order to conserve its energy for a more favorable time.  But this stress does call for specialized treatment to get your lawn healthy and attractive again.

Drought conditions can be hard on our Alabama lawns but they don’t have to be fatal. Proper watering techniques can help keep your lawn alive to thrive for another year.

Infrequent but deep waterings can “train” your lawn to be drought tolerate. By watering deeper and less often, your lawn will establish deeper roots. Deep roots tolerate drought better and require less water than shallow roots.

The most common lawn irrigation problem is watering at night because this sets up a scenario for fungal problems.  Watering just before sunrise greatly reduces the amount of water that is lost to evaporation. The prime time to water is during the very early morning hours before the sun rises.
Additionally, it is important to make sure your sprinkler heads are spraying onto your lawn and not on the street or sidewalk.

American Tree Maintenance can help speed up lawn recovery following a drought.