Your Best Lawn.
August Lawn & Landscape Tips.
August Lawn & Landscape Tips.
After a run of 7 consecutive days with temperatures in the 100s, this weekend’s temperatures in the low to mid 90s was a welcome reprieve!
Let’s face it: I’m hot! You’re hot! And your lawn and landscape are hot too!
The last 10 days of July and the first 10 days of August on average are Oklahoma City’s hottest days and this year we are putting an exclamation point on the HOT!
We are visiting a lot of lawns and landscapes that are suffering from either heat stress, drought stress or both. Even the best lawns and landscapes have a spot or two, a plant or two, that is in distress after a week of 100s.
The key to surviving the heat and drought stress is having a habit of best practices all year round. It's not just during times of high stress that these habits matter, but rather it's best practices all the time that make the real difference. Turf and plants that are doing their best right now have a strong and healthy root system.
For most of the metro area, it has been 3 weeks since we have received a good rainfall (a rain of ¼” or more) and for some portions of the metro it has been over 4 weeks. As the days with temperatures over 100 began to accumulate, soil temperatures quickly increased, and soil moisture disappeared. It is safe to say that if you are not watering, your lawn and landscape are now in a drought stress condition.
Your lawn and landscape goal for August is to finish the summer strong and keep your turf and plants as healthy as possible. Here are a few best practices to focus on, the first being watering:
Watering
The soil moisture has disappeared resulting in the best-looking lawns and landscapes are those that are receiving 1 ½” of water per week.
To learn how long and how often you need to water for your landscape to receive 1 ½” of moisture, place your Hall | Stewart Rain Gauge or cans around your lawn. Water using your normal cycle and then check the cups. Adjust watering times and frequency accordingly to insure 1 ½” is applied each week. Remember your landscape prefers deep soaking, infrequent watering over shallow, frequent watering. Even in the heat, lawns and landscapes are at their best when they are watered deeply as needed and not every day.
Healthy lawns have deep root systems. Roots will grow to the moisture. If your watering pattern is short, shallow, frequent watering resulting in moisture only in the top 1-2”, you will have a shallow rooted lawn dependent upon daily water. Deep soaking results in a root system with grass roots 6” to 2’ deep that is not dependent upon frequent watering and is drought resistant.
Remember, trees planted in the last two years need supplemental watering during the summer heat and extended dry periods. A good rule of thumb is to give them 10 gallons of water every week.
Best Watering Practice for August – Know how long you need to water to get 1 ½” water on your lawn each week. Practice deep soaking, infrequent watering.
If you are unsure about your watering practices, let us help.
We can schedule an Irrigation Audit/Check to make sure your system is operating at its peak efficiency during the summer heat.
Mowing
Both warm season turf (Bermuda and Zoysia) and cool season turf (Fescue) should be mowed at the highest level this month, warm season 2.5” and cool season 3.5”. At the higher level the lawn will have more leaf space resulting in better heat and drought tolerance. Continue to mow often enough that you are removing only 1/3 of the grass each time you cut. If you are cutting frequently enough to pass the 1/3 test, don’t catch the clippings. Allowing the clippings to decompose on the lawn will return moisture and nitrogen to the soil. Give no bagging a try. You will be surprised at how much more color your lawn will retain even in the heat. When you bag your clippings, you are tossing out nitrogen and moisture your lawn could really use this month.
Best Mowing Practice for August – Mow high, mow often, and don’t bag your clippings.
Fertilizer
Apply fertilizer to warm season turf this month. This time of the year, Bermuda and Zoysia benefit from a high nitrogen fertilizer that is low in phosphorus and potassium.
DO NOT fertilize cool season lawns until we reach the cooler temperatures of September.
Warm and cool season turfs require different fertilizer schedules. Don’t make the mistake of trying to treat them the same when it comes to fertilizing.
Best Fertilizer Practice for August – Fertilize bermudagrass, don’t fertilize fescue. Important - Follow watering instructions after fertilizer is applied.
Weed Control
Spring pre-emergent herbicides are reaching the end of their effectiveness in your soils. Should an occasional weed show up in your turf this month, it is best to go easy on weed control. We have reached the time of the year that damaged turf may not have a chance to fully recover before fall. Great weed control is at least 75% the result of thick turf. August is the month to focus on turf development going into fall.
Later this month is the best time to start applying the first fall pre-emergent herbicide application. The first fall weed to germinate is poa annua (annual bluegrass). Poa annua has become more and more of a problem to control in lawns worldwide as it has developed resistance to current herbicide chemistry. For the best prevention, it is important to put a pre-emergent on your lawn between late August and the end of September followed by a second pre-emergent, using a different herbicide, in October or November.
Best Weed Control Practice for August – Don’t cause turf damage by overtreating weeds. Better to go into the fall with a thick turf than one with herbicide damaged thin areas.
Bermuda vs Fescue in August
Bermuda (warm season turf) loves the summer heat. Fescue (cool season turf) prefers nights below 70 and days below 90. Healthy bermuda lawns look their best in the heat of the summer. Healthy fescue will retain color, although not as much as in early summer, and growth will slow.
Fescue where there is plenty of air circulation and dabbled sunlight typically looks best in the warm weather. Fescue lawns with heavy shade and little air circulation tend to thin from brown patch disease. Brown patch occurs in fescue lawns anytime the grass stays wet for 5 hours or more at a time and nighttime temperatures are in the 70s. During the hottest and dryest time of the season, brown patch is often self-inflicted by watering your fescue in the morning and evening, a common incorrect watering habit on fescue lawns in July and August.
Inspect Shady Lawn Areas
September through October is the best time of the year to establish fescue. Now is the time to assess the areas of the lawn where bermuda has become thin due to increasing shade (Bermuda needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight to be thick), areas of the lawn where fescue did not perform well because of very dense shade (Fescue needs at least some dappled sun), and areas of fescue that have been damaged by brown patch this summer. Because fescue does not spread, you should plan on adding some seed every fall.
Best Fescue Lawn Practice for August – Inspect and evaluate your turf. Check shade patterns and make a plan for overseeding low light areas with fescue this fall.
Need Help Evaluating Your Shady Areas? We would be happy to evaluate your shade and make a recommendation. Just give us a call at (405)367-3873 or email us yourbestlawn@hallstewart.com.
Insect Watch
If Grubs have been a problem in your lawn, August is the time to apply an insecticide. Remember, the insecticide will kill desirable insects also. Only treat for grubs if there is evidence of a problem or you have had a history of grub problems. Keep on the lookout for Army Worms. So far this summer, we have seen very little arm worm activity. A best practice is to keep on the lookout now through the fall because there are 4 to 5 generations between July and November with each generation increasing in numbers, so early control is best. Early caterpillars are green and very small. As they grow to 1 to 1 ½” they turn browner with reddish brown stripes on each side of the body and small back spots on the top. Their distinctive mark is an inverted “Y” on the front of the head. Army worms will feed on any leafy, soft plant with plenty of moisture in the leaf. Typically, in August they will feed mostly on bermuda because of an abundance of healthy leaf blades and less on fescue because it is not flourishing as much in August. Watch for areas of the lawn that appear to have drought stress should not be. Test the area with a soap flush. Mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap with 1 gallon of water and pour over the surface. If you have army worms, they will come to the surface. Treatment with a systemic insecticide when the worms are small before they become heavy feeders is best. Need more information on Army Worms, check out our article.Continue to inspect shrubs for Aphids and treat as needed. A common host plant is the Crape Myrtle.Inspect your trees and shrubs for active Bagworms. If you need help controlling bagworms, give us a call. When possible, remove and throw away bagworms. Don’t toss them on the ground because they will crawl back onto your plants. Watch for Webworms in your trees this month. The later generations of webworms are the ones that cause damage. If noticed early when the webbing is small, simply cutting the branch out is the best control. If spraying is required, you must penetrate the webbing to gain control.
Best Insect Control Practice for August – Spend a few minutes inspecting your lawn and landscape for insect activity. Treat as needed.
Landscape Color
How has the color been in your landscape this season? Sometime this month take pictures and make notes of the plants that are doing the best in your landscape.
Black-eyed Susan’s are the perfect perennial to add color to the landscape during July and August.
Crape Myrtles love the warm days and rewarding us with abundant summer color this year.
Limelight Hydrangeas continue to brighten the landscape even on the hottest of days.
Lantana, Penta, and Periwinkle are just a few summer annuals that are at their best now.
What is adding great color to your landscape right now? We want to know. Send pictures please.
Having a great lawn and landscape through the heat of the summer is a result of good maintenance practices year after year.
A great lawn and landscape are not the result of one season, or even a full year of focus.
A great environment is the result of discovering and developing great practices and then repeating them season after season, year after year.
If you need assistance in developing great practices or have questions concerning your lawn and landscape, give us a call.
Lorne Hall
Hall | Stewart Lawn + Landscape
(405) 367-3873