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Author: Adrienne

Helping Your Lawn Recover from Summer Drought Stress

Drought stress is a common challenge in maintaining a healthy lawn. This is especially true in locations with dramatic changes in seasonal weather conditions, called continental climates. 

The impact of drought stress on your lawn

While drought stress is an issue in itself, there are several secondary conditions that drought stress can trigger in your lawn. These include fungal diseases, insect and pest invasion, increased weeds, worsened soil compaction, and crown crushing.

  1. Fungal diseases: Fungi, like Ascochyta Leaf Spot, also known as ‘Melting Out,’ arise when the lawn is stressed and its immune defense is weakened.
  2. Insects and pests: When the lawn is weak and its root system is damaged by drought stress, it is easier for pests like voles, grubs, and billy bugs to invade, resulting in further irreparable damage to the turf.
  3. Weeds: Drought stressed turf loses its ability to outcompete weeds. Tap root weeds like thistles and dandelions can better compete for limited resources.
  4. Compaction: When the soil is dry, compaction is accelerated because it begins to harden and shrink.
  5. Crown crushing: Mowing drought stressed turf, or even walking on it, crushes the fragile grass crowns so that it is killed permanently instead of just remaining dormant.

How do I know if my lawn is in drought stress?

There are four stages of drought stress:

  • Stage One: The first sign of drought stress is when the lawn appears to have a bluish-gray/purple hue.
  • Stage Two: During stage two, the lawn begins to look patchy due to uneven moisture retention. The ‘patchiness’ is the result of leaf blades curling to conserve moisture and require less energy.
  • Stage Three: The lawn enters pre-dormancy during stage three, grass will lose its color and appear faded before significant browning occurs.
  • Stage Four: When the lawn is in the final stage of drought stress it re-enters dormancy and will be almost completely brown.

You can confirm drought stress by performing a couple of quick tests. The footprint test entails walking across the grass – if it does not return to its position after a few minutes and remains flat and matted, it is evidence of drought stress. You can also use the screwdriver test by pushing a screwdriver or other instrument into the ground, at least 3 to 4 inches deep. If the instrument does not have any dirt or wet soil stuck to it when you remove it, the lawn is in drought stress. 

During stages one and two of drought stress, the lawn can still recover quite quickly, but once in stage three to four, it may be more difficult to mitigate the effects. Here’s how you can get the lawn back on track:

  1. Begin frequent deep watering (extended periods, 20-30 minutes per zone), ideally in the early morning between 4:00-8:00 AM.
  2. Avoid mowing until the grass begins to recover, and once it does, raise your mower height to 3 inches or higher. 
  3. Try not to walk on or use the yard while the lawn is recovering to prevent further damage.
  4. Liquid aeration – our aeration service doesn’t cause further damage or stress to the lawn like mechanical, or core, aeration. It also introduces additional nutrients to help recharge the soil as well as encouraging biological activity to give the lawn a much-needed boost.

I water regularly – why is my lawn suffering from drought stress?

Regular watering often isn’t enough to prevent drought stress in your lawn. In Montana, plants, including your lawn, rely on deep ground moisture reserves resulting from snowfall during the winter. If winter conditions don’t build enough water stores, summer watering must be increased to compensate. However, there are also other considerations that may affect how your lawn retains water.

  1. Re-think your watering practices: Shallow, frequent watering leads to moisture evaporating too quickly and inhibiting deeper root growth. Practicing deep watering will cause the roots to grow deeper and prevent moisture loss.
    • Ask us for a rain gauge or place an empty tuna can in the yard to measure how much water your lawn is getting – we recommend around 1.5 inches per week!
  2. Sprinkler coverage: Check for broken sprinkler heads or uneven overlap between zones, and have them rotated or adjusted regularly.
  3. Soil quality: Not having enough top soil, poor quality soil, and lack of organic material contribute to drought stress because it has less ability to store moisture and the lawn can’t grow deep roots.
  4. Soil compaction: Compacted ground can cause water to pool on the surface rather than be absorbed into the soil. Ask us about our Liquid Aeration service!

Understanding drought stress is vital to keeping cool season grasses healthy during the short growing season. It is even more important to know that just because your lawn is being watered, doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe from drought – applying the right watering practices and accounting for environmental conditions is essential. If you are unsure if your lawn is suffering from the effects of drought stress, we’re only a call away!

How to Keep Your Trees Healthy

Proper tree care practices help maintain the growth, appearance, and longevity of your trees. Montana’s greatly varying seasonal conditions make it essential to understand how tree care changes throughout the year. 

Summer:
June, July, & August

During the warm, dry summer months, practicing deep watering is necessary. Less frequent watering for extended periods of time is the best way to achieve this. You must fully saturate the deep tree roots so that the moisture is not lost to other surface plants or evaporation. During periods of dry, hot weather, adding 2-3 inches of mulch at the base of the tree can help trees better retain moisture.

How to deep water your trees:

  1. Water for 20-30 minutes once a week per tree.
  2. This should amount to about 10 gallons of water per tree weekly.
  3. You can use a hose on a slow trickle or a drip system.

Fall
September, October, & November

Tree care during the time leading up to and throughout the fall months is the most important to your trees’ long-term health. Most of a tree’s underground growing, or root growth, occurs in the fall. Deciduous trees, or those that lose their foliage seasonally, like aspens or maples, enter dormancy in the fall. Evergreens, like pines and spruces, don’t enter full dormancy, but slow their metabolic functions in the fall and through the winter.

As a tree begins to enter dormancy, the sugars produced by its leaves get pulled into the tree and redirected to the roots. This means that aiding your trees in recovering from the stress of summer and entering into dormancy is critical for maintaining and improving root health.

Early fall care:
Late August – early October

  1. Supplemental watering to build water stores for winter.
  2. Have your trees evaluated by an arborist – fall is a great time to catch nutrient deficiencies before foliage is lost.
  3. Fertilization – ask us about our Deep Root Fertilization program!
    1. Fertilization not only improves the appearance and growth of trees, but also restores nutrients and helps protect against drought stress, disease, and insect attack.

Late fall care:
October & November

  1. Continue regular deep watering practices.
  2. Begin heavy soaking (45-60 minutes of watering) prior to a freeze or first signs of winter conditions to boost water stores before the ground freezes.
  3. Consider wrapping your thin bark trees (like fruit trees, aspens, or maples) to protect against Southwest disease, also referred to as sunscald. 
    1. Sunscald occurs when winter sun warms the southwest side of the tree, and nightly freezing temperatures kill the then-active trunk tissue. This results in long-term damage including split or peeling trunks.

Winter
December, January, & February

Trees remain in a state of dormancy through winter. During dormancy, the tree converts internal sugars and moves water out of its cells to prevent them from bursting in cold temperatures. Growth stops and internal functions slow down to conserve energy. Fall care practices prepare the tree for this dormant period.

Winter care:

  1. Dormancy is a good time to prune, especially for fruit-bearing trees.
  2. Winter is also a good time to have your trees evaluated by an arborist for structural issues when there is no foliage. Structural issues are weaknesses within a tree’s trunk or unions (where its branches join), making it likely to break, drop branches, or fall over.
  3. When snow coverage is minimal and temperatures are above 40 degrees for extended periods, begin deep watering practices again.

Spring
March, April, & May

As your trees come out of dormancy and prepare for another summer season, their care requirements increase. The trees are transitioning back to active growth, moving water from the roots into the trunk and converting stored sugars. It is essential to resume watering and care practices to aid in this process and rebuild deep water stores for the roots to access.

Spring tree care:

  1. Fertilization
  2. Insect control treatments – ask us about our programs!
  3. Avoid doing any pruning until new branch buds or new growth has begun to avoid damaging the tree or stunting growth
  4. Remove any trunk wrapping applied in the fall

Following suitable care practices will help you keep your trees happy and healthy year to year. If you ever have questions about what care is right for your trees, we’re just a phone call away!

What is the difference between a tap root and rhizomatous root system? (and why it matters)

A plant’s root system plays a major role in its care, survival, and environmental compatibility. The type of root system determines everything from how a plant anchors itself to its water and nutrient extraction, and even the plant’s impact on its surrounding ecosystem.

Tap root system

Tap root plants have a large singular central root that penetrates soil far below the surface, growing vertically downward. Tap root plants are generally very drought-tolerant because their roots can access groundwater far below the surface and anchor them deeply. 

Examples of tap root plants include:

  • Trees like oaks and pines
  • Weeds like dandelions, burdock, and common mullein
  • Vegetables like carrots, radishes, and beets

Implications of tap root plants, and how it may affect your garden

  1. Tap root plants are extremely difficult to transplant, so it is important to consider when adding to your landscaping
  2. Tap root weeds can be more stubborn and difficult to eliminate – while weed control is typically effective, it may take multiple treatments to fully eradicate them. If hand-pulling these weeds, it’s vital you remove the entire tap root to prevent regrowth.
  3. In order to keep tap root plants healthy, ‘deep watering’ practices are favored over frequent, shallow watering. One way you can ensure deep watering is by using a hose on a slow trickle at the base of the plant for an extended period of time, less frequently. 

Rhizomatous root system

Rhizomatous root systems are a network of stems that grow horizontally, rather than just vertically (downward). On these primary stems there are growing points, called nodes, from which new stems, or shoots, and vertical roots grow from. The infrastructure of these interconnected root systems stores nutrients and water and allows the plant to spread aggressively.

Examples of rhizomatous plants:

  • Your lawn!
  • Ornamentals like ferns, indoor plants like snake plants, and aspen trees
  • Weeds like Canada thistle and quackgrass, invasive grasses
  • Edible plants like ginger and turmeric

Implications of rhizomatous root systems, and how it may affect your garden:

  1. The rhizomatous root system makes the plants resilient and capable of withstanding major changes in seasonal weather conditions, and maintaining vitality in winter dormancy.
  2. These root systems help protect against soil erosion and maintain healthier soil.
  3. Unwanted rhizomatous plants and weeds can be incredibly invasive and difficult to remove.

Understanding your plants’ root systems play a role in your yard and their surrounding ecosystem is essential. Knowing the differences will help you to sustain healthy and happy plants and ensure your watering and care practices are right for them. 

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