This summer’s drought has had a real impact on lawns throughout Boston and Western Massachusetts. Faced with dwindling water supplies, local municipalities are requesting (and in some cases insisting) that residents refrain from watering their lawns, trees, shrubberies and other plantings. It’s important to understand what going without water means for your lawn.
Grass is an amazing plant. There are many types of grass, and some varieties are what is known as drought-resistant. These varieties are masters of moisture efficiency: they can make use of even minimal water supplies to stay healthy and green. Hybrid Bermuda grass has been found by California researchers to be the most drought resistant grass; Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue are also strong performers, as is local favorite Zoysia grass. If your current lawn has been completely obliterated by the drought – and some have, let’s not kid ourselves here – your Boston lawn service can help you out by reseeding your lawn with a hardier, drought-resistant variety for the next growing season.
Sometimes when grass looks dead, it’s not really dead, it’s dormant. Cool season grasses have a built-in defense mechanism that lets them basically shut down when things get too hot and dry. The plant puts all its energy into survival, concentrating what little moisture it has deep within its root system. Grasses that do this include Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue. If you’re not sure if your grass is truly dead or is just dormant, wait just a few more days. Fall’s colder temperatures are coming, and if they’re accompanied by some much-needed rain, you’ll see dormant grass becoming greener again. Even if the fall doesn’t deliver much in the way of rainfall, don’t lose hope: winter snows can provide the moisture dormant grasses need to survive the colder months and return again in the spring.
