While we're in a drought currently, we're not in as bad of shape as we were last year. Right now we're in a "severe" drought, as you can see in a post of mine from January where about 1/3 of the state was in severe drought status
With the mild temps and cooler overnights, we were still mowing non-irrigated lawns somewhat regularly. However, the complete lack of rain over the past couple weeks combined with the minimal amount we've received over the past two months, it is really taking it's toll on the lawns here in the metro area.
The question comes up, is it too late to start watering? If you haven't been watering regularly at this point, then yes it's too late to start. In fact watering now not only won't really help, it will in fact assist crabgrass and broadleaf weeds to take over.
Another question that comes up, is my lawn dead? Most likely, no, but you won't know for sure until we get sufficient moisture (or possibly next spring). Grass will go dormant in instances of drought to conserve moisture, that does not equate to a dead lawn and in most cases it will recover. That does not mean, however, that there won't be dead patches. In fact there is a good chance that this will happen.
In central Iowa there is a lot of bluegrass, and if that is your lawn, you're concerned about the crown on the blade of grass. In order for the crown to survive it needs about 1/4 of an inch/week or 1/2 inch every two weeks.
Things to avoid during drought conditions:
1. High traffic - If your lawn is dormant and is crunchy, try to stay off of your lawn as much as possible during a drought. Heavy traffic will damage the crown and increase the liklihood of killing your grass.
2. Fertilizer - It's an exercise in futility. With limited water resources, you will get very little effect from fertilizer so don't do it.
3. Watering too much: You want to simulate actual rainfall for your lawn, so you don't want to do this every day. Deep and infrequent is the motto to follow. This would be every 3 days or so. You want to the roots to work and go deeper. If you water too frequently, your root system is going to be too shallow and while it may be green, it may not be the healthiest.
Things you should do:
While there is no quick fix, the best guard against a drought is to establish a healthy living condition for your grass.
If you have compacted soil, clay or sand, your grass will go dormant much quicker. Aerating your lawn annually to improve water and nutrient circulation while breaking up thatch will help. Applying gypsum on clay soil bases will improve the pH balance. Over-seed to improve the density of your lawn and this will help avoid thinning in your lawn by replacing grass that will eventually die or thin out. Thick lawns are also the #1 weed prevention.
Now, by doing this, when the next drought comes it does not mean your lawn will be green and lush without water, but it will increase the tolerance and improve the chances of recovery.
I want a drought resistant lawn, what seed should I use?
I get this quite a bit because so many lawns are bluegrass lawns here. However, there are different types of bluegrass and each one reacts differently to drought conditions. Since here in Iowa we see all weather conditions, I recommend a combination of turf types in your lawn. I prefer majority of it being Kentucky Bluegrass as I think it looks the best, but I also have some turf-type tall fescue mixed in.
Below is a guide to drought tolerance for you to follow when choosing grass seed, however don't let that be the #1 driving factor when selecting grass seed. There are other maintenance requirements for particular types of seed. Some require more maintenance, some less. This is strictly in regards to drought tolerance.
Zoysiagrass - Excellent
Bermudagrass - Excellent
Turf-type Tall Fescue - Very good
Kentucky Bluegrass - good-very good
Fineleaf fescue - good
Perrenial ryegrass - poor-good
Annual bluegrass - poor
Annual ryegrass - poor
Good luck with your lawn and let's hope for some rain soon.
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