Lawns are surprisingly resilient during dry spells.
Grass is adapted to going dormant (i.e. brown) as a way to cut down on water needs when rain isn’t happening. Then it’s able to “green up” when a soaking rain or two returns.
The kicker, though, is that grass can’t go dormant forever and still spring magically back to life.
Most grass species used in Pennsylvania lawns are able to survive three to four weeks in a brown, dormant state … then they’re at risk at going from dormant to dead. And dead grass doesn’t regrow no matter how much it rains.
Not all of central Pennsylvania is in the same boat with this dilemma.
Some areas received enough rain from spotty storms to keep the grass roots hydrated enough to stay alive. Other areas have missed every rain opportunity in the past two months and so are getting close to that dormant/death cutoff.
Even in the same yard, some parts are in worse shape than others. Sections near asphalt or along roads where passing cars produce evaporation-increasing hot air are more at risk than shaded sections in low-lying, rainfall-capturing areas.
What to do?
If you’re getting nervous, Penn State’s turfgrass experts say that irrigating a browned-out lawn with just one-quarter inch of water per week is enough to keep the grass crowns alive without triggering growth. (The “crown” is the growth point of a grass plant where the blades emerge.)
Watering an inch per week or a half-inch twice a week is likely going to be enough to trigger new green growth – the way to tell whether the grass was dormant or is dead.
Water amounts can be measured by running a sprinkler with a rain gauge, empty tuna can, or similar container set in the irrigation area.
If you go the heavier watering route, irrigation should be maintained to keep the grass green and growing until rain takes over. Penn State says it’s more stressful on grass to let it repeatedly go into and out of dormancy than to just maintain dormancy with light watering.
A few other strategies also help dormant grass. Among them:
Don’t mow. Mowed-off grass tips only lose moisture faster. Taller blades help shade the lawn soil and slow evaporation.Stay off the grass as much as possible. Foot traffic can break and injure those dry, brittle grass crowns. This is another reason why not to mow.Hold off fertilizing. September is usually a good month to fertilize, but that’s assuming the grass is green and growing. Most fertilizers contain salts that make plants less drought-tolerant and that can burn grass when it’s not dissolving. Dormant grass doesn’t need and can’t use non-dissolved granular fertilizer anyway. Wait until active growth resumes before fertilizing again.Worry about the weeds later. Applying herbicides to dry lawns is another added stress that grass doesn’t need at the moment. Weeds can be spot-sprayed later in fall when grass growth resumes … or dealt with next spring.
What if the worst has occurred, and those brown patches are dead grass?
Unless you’re willing to supply lots of water now on a regular basis, it’s best to wait for a good rain or two.
That will: a.) confirm if the grass has really died; and b.) make for better conditions for new grass seed. Lawn-seeding success is usually pretty good in the Harrisburg area until at least the end of October.
Otherwise, dead lawns and dead patches can be raked and reseeded next spring.
Note that many lawn experts are now recommending turf-type tall fescue as the preferred species for area lawns, replacing the long-used blend of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues.
Turf-type tall fescue is slightly more coarse in texture, but it’s both more heat-resistant and drought-tolerant than other traditional cool-season turfgrasses.
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