# Lawn and summer heat question



## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

OK, so I have been struggling with this lawn since March (we moved in over the fall). Long story short, I just put lime down and used a company to spray the crabgrass (it was heavy in the back). I water for about two hours at least 3x a week. Now, I am noticing the grass is starting to turn brown (heat stress maybe?). It's been so hot here in NJ. I mow it high, about 3" once a week. I have not fertilized since May. Is there anything I could do to stop this "browning" process? It's not grubs or anything like that, I think it's going dormant to protect itself from the heat. Any fertilizers or anything I could do?


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## Mr Chips (Mar 23, 2008)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> Any fertilizers or anything I could do?


DO NOT FERTILIZE: if your lawn is already stressed adding chemicals may make it worse. Adding lime can be risky in the summer months, especially if you didn't do any soil testing, but added lime "just because".

Some grasses prefer hot weather, others prefer cooler weather. Do you know what type of grass(es) make up your lawn? It's normal for most blues, fescues, and ryes to have a hard time in the hot/dry summer months.

Until you can identify the actual problem ( disease, pests, soil compaction, etc...), water is probably the best thing to give your lawn


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## teamo (Sep 7, 2008)

What time are you watering? It is best to water early in the morning before the sun comes up to give it time to soak into the roots. You can also over water a lawn and that is just as bad as not enough water. Do a test of the soil ph to see what you need. You can buy test kits for not much money or there are places to take soil samples to have them tested. That should give you an idea of what your soil needs.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

Mr Chips said:


> DO NOT FERTILIZE: if your lawn is already stressed adding chemicals may make it worse. Adding lime can be risky in the summer months, especially if you didn't do any soil testing, but added lime "just because".
> 
> Some grasses prefer hot weather, others prefer cooler weather. Do you know what type of grass(es) make up your lawn? It's normal for most blues, fescues, and ryes to have a hard time in the hot/dry summer months.
> 
> Until you can identify the actual problem ( disease, pests, soil compaction, etc...), water is probably the best thing to give your lawn


I pretty sure it is Blue Grass and Rye. It's really thin whatever it is. I don't think it's disease because the actual stem is in good shape (i think). It doesn't pull out, so I don't think it's grubs.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Watering six hours a week seems excessive to me but then I don't know with what kind of sprinkler heads. As mentioned, you can over water a lawn with the main effect of plugging up the soil and denying aeration to the roots.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

sdsester said:


> Watering six hours a week seems excessive to me but then I don't know with what kind of sprinkler heads. As mentioned, you can over water a lawn with the main effect of plugging up the soil and denying aeration to the roots.


I actually just use a sprinkler head. I don't have an irrigation system. It's been over 90 here with a heat index over 95 and above for weeks.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> I actually just use a sprinkler head. I don't have an irrigation system. It's been over 90 here with a heat index over 95 and above for weeks.


I'm in your general neck of the woods and we are dealing with the same thing. In the spring we had rain for about 58 out of 60 straight days...then the spigot turned off and it's major drought time. I haven't fertilized since early May because of all the stress. Most likely its just dormant and will come back when conditions improve. Keep up the watering...but you may need to water close to every day to get it to come out of dormancy and green up. Now conventional wisdom says water less frequently and deeper..which is great for completely ideal conditions....lots of good deep topsoil...no compaction....good pH...good soil organic matter content...and on and on.....but sometimes conditions require unconventional wisdom...IMHO.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

piste said:


> I'm in your general neck of the woods and we are dealing with the same thing. In the spring we had rain for about 58 out of 60 straight days...then the spigot turned off and it's major drought time. I haven't fertilized since early May because of all the stress. Most likely its just dormant and will come back when conditions improve. Keep up the watering...but you may need to water close to every day to get it to come out of dormancy and green up. Now conventional wisdom says water less frequently and deeper..which is great for completely ideal conditions....lots of good deep topsoil...no compaction....good pH...good soil organic matter content...and on and on.....but sometimes conditions require unconventional wisdom...IMHO.


Yeah, that's what I have been trying to do. I waterly deeply every two days or so for a few hours, both front and back. I will say, that out of the 100 or so houses on my section of the block, there are only three of us that have the majority of the lawn green.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> Yeah, that's what I have been trying to do. I waterly deeply every two days or so for a few hours, both front and back. I will say, that out of the 100 or so houses on my section of the block, there are only three of us that have the majority of the lawn green.


Majority of the lawn green? You are doing better than I am !!! But I'm not watering quite as much as you....


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

piste said:


> Majority of the lawn green? You are doing better than I am !!! But I'm not watering quite as much as you....


YEah, Im surprised because everyone around me (except my direct neighbor) is brown or noticeably going brown. I know you are not supposed to water at night, but I talked to someone at the Ridgewood Country Club, and he said he tries to only water at night and the grass there is immaculate. I turn the water on at 7 and shut it off at 9.


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## Ohno59 (May 4, 2011)

I'm in NJ too with this heat. My lawn is cut high every week, and I water 20 minutes a zone x5 with rotors every day at 5pm. It is green, and is just enough to keep it green with the clay soil. It is as dry as a bone all the time no matter how much I water. My lawn is in the sun until 6pm afternoon, so it does get dry during the day.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

seansy59 said:


> I'm in NJ too with this heat. My lawn is cut high every week, and I water 20 minutes a zone x5 with rotors every day at 5pm. It is green, and is just enough to keep it green with the clay soil. It is as dry as a bone all the time no matter how much I water. My lawn is in the sun until 6pm afternoon, so it does get dry during the day.


Same problem here. Most of the lawn is in the sun all day and is dry all day. THis is the reason I water in the evening.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> I know you are not supposed to water at night, but I talked to someone at the Ridgewood Country Club, and he said he tries to only water at night and the grass there is immaculate.


Another piece of conventional wisdom that is often misconstrued...the concern about watering at night would be promoting fungus. But when the daytime temps are in the mid-80s to upper 90s ..and ther's been little to no measurable rain for 6 weeks...there's little chance of that. More importantly....everything is a tradeoff...watering at night has the awesome benefit of having much more time to let the water soak in and get absorbed by the grass whilst it is not fighting the extreme heat of the day....that benefit FAR outweighs the miniscule risk of fungus this time of year. You are also not watering at a time of day when much of the water gets lost to evaporation. I grew up on a golf course...unfortunately lugging bags as a caddie instead of being a player. They all regularly water at night...there are good reasons for that.

Edit to add: With the conditions we've been having...if you did the "recommended" one deep watering a week....unless you had ideal conditions (amd maybe even with that) ...3 or 4 days of the blistering heat would STILL stress the lawn. Sure one deep weekly watering lets the roots go deeper and therefore promotes more drought tolerant grass....but that's under "ideal" conditions.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

piste said:


> Another piece of conventional wisdom that is often misconstrued...the concern about watering at night would be promoting fungus. But when the daytime temps are in the mid-80s to upper 90s ..and ther's been little to no measurable rain for 6 weeks...there's little chance of that. More importantly....everything is a tradeoff...watering at night has the awesome benefit of having much more time to let the water soak in and get absorbed by the grass whilst it is not fighting the extreme heat of the day....that benefit FAR outweighs the miniscule risk of fungus this time of year. You are also not watering at a time of day when much of the water gets lost to evaporation. I grew up on a golf course...unfortunately lugging bags as a caddie instead of being a player. They all regularly water at night...there are good reasons for that.
> 
> Edit to add: With the conditions we've been having...if you did the "recommended" one deep watering a week....unless you had ideal conditions (amd maybe even with that) ...3 or 4 days of the blistering heat would STILL stress the lawn. Sure one deep weekly watering lets the roots go deeper and therefore promotes more drought tolerant grass....but that's under "ideal" conditions.


I like your input. I have been tried to do 3-4 x a week of deep watering


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## llckll (Aug 24, 2009)

So, is watering 3x's a week for 30 minutes sufficient (5:00am - 5:30am, Monday, Wednesday, Friday) when there is hardly rainfall? Or as people mentioned in this thread, is it ok to water at night 3x's a week for the same amount of time?


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

llckll said:


> So, is watering 3x's a week for 30 minutes sufficient (5:00am - 5:30am, Monday, Wednesday, Friday) when there is hardly rainfall? Or as people mentioned in this thread, is it ok to water at night 3x's a week for the same amount of time?


As been previous mentioned, with this lack of rain, watering at night will have little ill effect if any. I would recommend watering for at least an hour 3x a week.


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## llckll (Aug 24, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> As been previous mentioned, with this lack of rain, watering at night will have little ill effect if any. I would recommend watering for at least an hour 3x a week.


Any particular time? 7pm - 8pm, Mon, Wed, Fri?

TIA.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

llckll said:


> Any particular time? 7pm - 8pm, Mon, Wed, Fri?
> 
> TIA.


I start at 7 and stop at 9, but thats just me.


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## llckll (Aug 24, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> I start at 7 and stop at 9, but thats just me.


And you are also located in Northern, NJ (Bergen County)? I will give that a shot. 

Thanks.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

llckll said:


> And you are also located in Northern, NJ (Bergen County)? I will give that a shot.
> 
> Thanks.


Yeah HAsbrouck Heights.


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## llckll (Aug 24, 2009)

Thanks for the input. Will try the night time routine for the rest of the summer.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

llckll said:


> Thanks for the input. Will try the night time routine for the rest of the summer.


Good luck!!


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## llckll (Aug 24, 2009)

Breakthecycle2 said:


> Good luck!!


Although two hours a night sounds like a lot. I guess it depends on the type of sprinkler and coverage as well. I actually have two sprinklers connected to on hose line. Will try one hour a night. Mon, Wed, Fri, 7pm - 8pm. Got to save on that water bill.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

piste said:


> ...conventional wisdom says water less frequently and deeper..which is great for completely ideal conditions....lots of good deep topsoil...IMHO.


Exactly. Few people have such ideal conditions. I used to follow that advice. Push a piece of pipe into your lawn and pull it up to take a "core sample" If you don't know what you are looking at (like me), you still might not know how to read it, but it showed I have about an inch of topsoil and then clay. Water does not soak in, it just stays on the surface. I water frequently and lightly now. I am trying to improve the quality of my soil, but its slow going.


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## Jamboy (Oct 2, 2007)

Using a golf course as your guide to lawn maintenance is generally not going to help with your lawn. Golf courses have a controlled and unique soil structure that is monitored, tested and maintained to achieve the lush green grass you see. Very few lawns, even ones on courses, have conditions even close to what the average golf course has. I am in Maryland which is in the transition zone or zone from hell. Unless you test your soil, amend it, aerate it regularly and follow a detailed program, it is best to just let it alone when these conditions set in. All grasses will go dormant if overly stressed. The important thing is to make sure they are healthy and have strong root systems before they are stressed. The plants will survive and green up when conditions improve. Golf on TV has convinced everyone they should always have a perfectly green lawn. People need to accept periodic brown dormant grass as natural.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Jamboy said:


> Using a golf course as your guide to lawn maintenance is generally not going to help with your lawn. Golf courses have a controlled and unique soil structure that is monitored, tested and maintained to achieve the lush green grass you see. Very few lawns, even ones on courses, have conditions even close to what the average golf course has. I am in Maryland which is in the transition zone or zone from hell. Unless you test your soil, amend it, aerate it regularly and follow a detailed program, it is best to just let it alone when these conditions set in. All grasses will go dormant if overly stressed. The important thing is to make sure they are healthy and have strong root systems before they are stressed. The plants will survive and green up when conditions improve. Golf on TV has convinced everyone they should always have a perfectly green lawn. People need to accept periodic brown dormant grass as natural.


I get where you are coming from in general. However, the comparison to golf courses in this thread was not about one always keeping the lawn green like courses do...but rather with respect to it being ok to watering at night under certain circumstances. The concern with watering at night is primarily potentially promoting a fungal environment. And if that was such a real concern golf courses would not water at night. Therefore.. it's my opinion that in certain circumstances the benefit and need to water at night can at times far outweigh the risks.

With respect to your primary point...there's nothing wrong at all with someone wanting a lush green lawn throughout the year as much as possible. It does come at a price...a lot of that the cost of irrigation requirements during summer. But I don't see why people NEED to accept periodic brown dormant grass if they choose not to. And there's certainly nothing wrong with accepting the natural dormancy phase either.

Definitely agree with the points about testing, amending, aerating, etc.


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## Jamboy (Oct 2, 2007)

Piste,

Watering at night or at any time of day when high temps and high humidity conditions exist is a guessing game especially during extended periods like we are having. If the air is saturated and your low temps are 70 plus if you have poor surface and subsurface drainage even localized, determining how much water to add becomes more art than science. It has no where to go. Even during midday, the RH may be 40% but the dew point may approach the actual temperature so it isn't going to evaporate like many seem to think. My reference to golf courses wasn't expressed well. I was trying to say that an established golf course has the drainage needed and a history of works best based on type of grass, root competition, hours of shade, etc. that works for that course. The course across the street may flourish with a completely different irrigation routine.

As for it being acceptable for someone to want green lush grass year round, I agree that someone can want it but I don't agree everyone should be able to choose to do whatever it takes to achieve it. I am no tree hugger or socialist but certain fundamental realities can't be dismissed. If municipal water or well water is being used, it is a selfish indulgence that affects everyone. During a drought runoff and the chemicals it contains are fed into a system that is unable to dilute sufficiently. So if it is that important to someone, learn how to use grey water and harvest every drop of rain one can or even better install synthetic grass. No chemicals, minimal upkeep and most people can't tell the difference between the real thing and some of the really good synthetic grass that is available today.

I just think people want a cure all when they should ride out the storm. Trying too hard to fight Mother Nature usually isn't a good idea. Just my opinion and if my wife is right then my opinion doesn't matter.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Jamboy said:


> Piste,
> 
> Watering at night or at any time of day when high temps and high humidity conditions exist is a guessing game especially during extended periods like we are having. If the air is saturated and your low temps are 70 plus if you have poor surface and subsurface drainage even localized, determining how much water to add becomes more art than science. It has no where to go. Even during midday, the RH may be 40% but the dew point may approach the actual temperature so it isn't going to evaporate like many seem to think. My reference to golf courses wasn't expressed well. I was trying to say that an established golf course has the drainage needed and a history of works best based on type of grass, root competition, hours of shade, etc. that works for that course. The course across the street may flourish with a completely different irrigation routine.
> .


I agree with all of this... with one small twist. I look at it not as a guessing game...but more as a judgement call. I have primarily clay and rocks with not so great drainage. Been in this house three years and am on a program to improve with compost, core aeration...etc etc. But as we know that will take years. Meantime....whwn it comes to watering at night I have to weigh the risk of fungal issues with that of letting my lawn continue to get what has so far been virtually no water this summer. Ideally I'd water in the 3am to 6am or 7am timeslot....but if the rest of life and lack of an irrigation system prevent that and my only real option some weeks is to get the sprinklers going at night...well that's where the judgement call comes in...and we can each decide for ourselves what our risk tolerance is. It's all a tradeoff of potential risks and potential returns or benefits. 



Jamboy said:


> As for it being acceptable for someone to want green lush grass year round, I agree that someone can want it but I don't agree everyone should be able to choose to do whatever it takes to achieve it. I am no tree hugger or socialist but certain fundamental realities can't be dismissed. If municipal water or well water is being used, it is a selfish indulgence that affects everyone. During a drought runoff and the chemicals it contains are fed into a system that is unable to dilute sufficiently. So if it is that important to someone, learn how to use grey water and harvest every drop of rain one can or even better install synthetic grass. No chemicals, minimal upkeep and most people can't tell the difference between the real thing and some of the really good synthetic grass that is available today.
> 
> I just think people want a cure all when they should ride out the storm. Trying too hard to fight Mother Nature usually isn't a good idea. Just my opinion and if my wife is right then my opinion doesn't matter.


Umm...here I'll violently disagree. Your sentiments are anti-American. You believe individuals should not be able to choose to attempt to have a lush green lawn??? why? Because it might go against some of YOUR values? You don't get to impose your values on the rest of the world. Nor do I mine.

PS. little to no "bad" runoff from my property. I try to keep it as "organic" as possible.


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## Jamboy (Oct 2, 2007)

Piste,

I didn't want to make you angry, I was just expressing one view. I can assure you I am as far from un-American as one can be. My favorite author is Ayn Rand. The most inspiring and brilliant political figure in history for me is Thomas Jefferson. I am libertarian and believe the Constitution is very clear and is not a living document. I believe in minimal government and that HOAs and condo associations should be eliminated or not given any right to impose rules on any property owner. Jefferson wanted the wording of the Declaration of Independence to read "the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of property." I agree in live and let live. But that means if what you do affects my life, liberty or property, I will not be silent. It is every mans obligation to make every effort not to infringe on someone else's rights. So if my neighbor is on a well and waters his lawn from the same well source as mine and my well goes dry, he has infringed on my rights as much as any government agency can.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Jamboy said:


> Piste,
> 
> I didn't want to make you angry, I was just expressing one view. I can assure you I am as far from un-American as one can be. My favorite author is Ayn Rand. The most inspiring and brilliant political figure in history for me is Thomas Jefferson. I am libertarian and believe the Constitution is very clear and is not a living document. I believe in minimal government and that HOAs and condo associations should be eliminated or not given any right to impose rules on any property owner. Jefferson wanted the wording of the Declaration of Independence to read "the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of property." I agree in live and let live. But that means if what you do affects my life, liberty or property, I will not be silent. It is every mans obligation to make every effort not to infringe on someone else's rights. So if my neighbor is on a well and waters his lawn from the same well source as mine and my well goes dry, he has infringed on my rights as much as any government agency can.


Hey,
You didn't make me angry...I just strongly disagree with where you were coming from. If a green lawn most of the year makes me happy...then that falls under the pursuit of happiness. If I have worked hard enough in this life to have the resources to pay the water bill needed to achieve it..so be it. Gov't serves a very useful and necessary purpose...but I believe we have all the gov't we need already....and then some..particularly in the last few years. To restrict my ability to water because of some folks views on saving the world....is no more appropriate than someone being forced to water their lawn to keep up the look of the neighborhood. 

Kudos to you for your well articulated and intellectual response by the way. I am duly and sincerely impressed....though it does kind of conflict with your previous post a bit. Now I gotta go move my sprinkler! :yes:

Cheers!


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Just keep in mind that we take fresh water for granted. In this state we use it faster than the aquafores, for example, are able to replenish it.

And remember profits from your use of water go primarily to foreign, not domestic companies.

 *WATER AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT* 

  Of the four largest water companies that provide operations and maintenance services to publicly-owned water and wastewater systems in the U.S., only one—OMI—is a domestic company.

 More than   2,400 water and waste water systems in the USA contract with private firms to operate and maintain them. Veolia Water, for instance, is the a subsidiary of a French firm and serves more than 600 communities and 14 million people through public-private partnerships with local governments, including the nation’s largest water partnership in Indianapolis. 

In addition, 15 percent of the U.S. population is served by about 20,000 private water and wastewater utilities - most are domestic subsidiaries of foreign firms.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

sdsester said:


> Just keep in mind that we take fresh water for granted. In this state we use it faster than the aquafores, for example, are able to replenish it.
> 
> And remember profits from your use of water go primarily to foreign, not domestic companies.
> 
> ...


So your conclusion or point is what exactly? Consumption of water is unAmerican? OR anti US business? Or anti-union? Maybe we should have our current government legislate and ration how much water we can each drink each day.:no::no::no::no: Better yet...Ban water usage altogether!! Maybe water consumption somehow supports the Taliban? Or ****** Bulger? Maybe Elvis is hiding out in Santa Monica too...with Amy Winehouse and Jim Morrison...


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Lived where water was rationed already once. It was quite challenging and frustrating. It was part state government involvement but also company policies over which we had no say. The place? Northern California and water that was its ours. It continued to flow to Southern California without rationing there though.

Made people nervous and very angry to the point some were calling for splitting the states into two governments and other ridiculous nonsense. 

Southern California had pretty lawns though even in that year. Northern Californians learned to conserve and implemented things like drip irrigation and bricks in their toilet bowls. Their lawns, unfortunately, went brown.

Not saying their is an answer. I am just saying that like it or not, given that fresh water is a precious commodity, and that we are in places running out of it? If we do not conserve it on our own someone will step in and implement rationing on as drastic a level as is required. And that is probably going to be big government. So do not complain when it happens.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

This is a pretty good website for simple organic lawn care.

http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp

Mow high, water infrequently but deeply, don't stress if the grass goes dormant. It goes green again when the rain comes back. I inherited a weed patch from the previous owner and just by doing these things and overseeding in the fall, the lawn is green and improving.

If you're looking to make your lawn a monocultured golf course green, well, it'll take a *bit* more effort to keep it up.


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## biggles (Jan 1, 2008)

do you mulch that lawn or bag it the nutrients that go back in call for no fert.and like yourself i do a lime run 2X a year.i would cut back on the watering found doing at sundown here on the south shore of LI for half hour once a week and watching the weather.trying to get my neighbors to set the blades up higher to shade the roots...and they don't mulch and the browning is starting after that tri-state heat we just had last weekend


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Mulch in the grass clippings. If you are mowing frequently enough, you won't be cutting so much grass off that it clumps.


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

Thunder Chicken said:


> Mulch in the grass clippings. If you are mowing frequently enough, you won't be cutting so much grass off that it clumps.


:yes: My husband mows our lawn 2x a week and every other week he leaves the clippings on the lawn. The other weeks we put them in our compost pile. 

BTW, watering isn't the problem if the OP has fescue or rye grass, which they stated they had. Watering will help, but these cold weather grasses will turn brown in the dead heat of summer or during prolonged hot spells. I bet the lawn looks great in cooler months! We have bermuda in our back yard and it's amazing in the summer, but looks like crap in the winter. We don't mind because all the leaves are off the trees and it's not so pretty anyway. We also have a lot of yard parties and the bermuda can take a beating. 

One thing you can do is a blend of cold and warm-season grass. Guy across the street does this. In the spring he overseeds with bermuda, in the fall he aeriates and overseeds with fescue. Best looking lawn ever.:wink:


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

The problem is if you water too much, the grass roots stay shallow (where the water is). If you get hot weather and forget to water, you get stressed grass really quickly.

By watering infrequently and deeply, only when the grass begins to wilt, you train the grass to send down deeps roots. If the roots are established nice and deep, then several days of hot dry weather won't hurt them - they can still get water from deep down.

Another advantage of doing this is that weeds generally are shallow rooted. A couple days of hot and dry might selectively stress and kill the weeds and leave your deep-rooted grass alone.


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## piste (Oct 7, 2009)

Thunder Chicken said:


> The problem is if you water too much, the grass roots stay shallow (where the water is). If you get hot weather and forget to water, you get stressed grass really quickly.
> 
> By watering infrequently and deeply, only when the grass begins to wilt, you train the grass to send down deeps roots. If the roots are established nice and deep, then several days of hot dry weather won't hurt them - they can still get water from deep down.
> 
> Another advantage of doing this is that weeds generally are shallow rooted. A couple days of hot and dry might selectively stress and kill the weeds and leave your deep-rooted grass alone.


Yep...that's the ideal....IF you can get your environment to the ideal state to begin with. Unfortunately..a wide variety of factors conspire against that...and so in many cases one is better off watering more frequently.


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## Breakthecycle2 (Apr 28, 2011)

kimberland30 said:


> :yes: My husband mows our lawn 2x a week and every other week he leaves the clippings on the lawn. The other weeks we put them in our compost pile.
> 
> BTW, watering isn't the problem if the OP has fescue or rye grass, which they stated they had. Watering will help, but these cold weather grasses will turn brown in the dead heat of summer or during prolonged hot spells. I bet the lawn looks great in cooler months! We have bermuda in our back yard and it's amazing in the summer, but looks like crap in the winter. We don't mind because all the leaves are off the trees and it's not so pretty anyway. We also have a lot of yard parties and the bermuda can take a beating.
> 
> One thing you can do is a blend of cold and warm-season grass. Guy across the street does this. In the spring he overseeds with bermuda, in the fall he aeriates and overseeds with fescue. Best looking lawn ever.:wink:


I was able to kill the crabgrass and I plan on aerating and reseeding with Kentucky Bluegrass. The bluegrass seems to withstand summer heat and is durable.


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