Tips and tricks for greener grass

The grass has been suffering lately due to the lack of rain. Many people run their sprinklers throughout the day, without results. Meteorologist Erica Horvatin did a little experiment Thursday, watering a grass area every thirty minutes from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M., with twenty-two gallons of water, and after it all, not much changed.

Here are the before and after pictures, with the unwatered side on the left, and watered side on the right. The biggest changes seem to be that the left side looks more yellow and brown than it did after another day without water, but the watered side looks just about the same. 

 

It is likely that much of the water evaporated, because the watering was done during the daytime hours. The best time to water the lawn is during the morning and night, when there is less evaporation.

When we have this many dry days, the soil dries up, and grass roots are not able to absorb the nutrients they need, like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen in particular is what helps photosynthesis occur, so without rain and nitrogen, the grass will not be green.

It is a bad idea to cut the grass during this time, because once the green blade of the grass is cut off, the grass will not be able to process photosynthesis.

If your lawn is suffering, not only water it, but also try a fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in it. If you do choose to cut the grass, do not use a bag. The grass clippings can help transfer nitrogen to the grass below.