Tips for Better Summer Lawn Care in El Paso, TX

Keeping a lawn from drying out in the heat of summer in El Paso, TX, can be difficult at times but it isn’t impossible. When keeping up with your lawn care in El Paso, always remember to mow the lawn, water, and fertilize as needed. As there are several factors can play in keeping your lawn green. One of the most important parts of lawn care in a climate zone as hot as El Paso is how and when to water your lawn. You need to make a proper watering schedule based on the type of grass and the condition of the soil.

Water the correct way

Watering correctly is something that many homeowners get wrong. You may find out that you’re watering your lawn about twice as much as required. This will make your grass grow short and narrow roots instead of long and deep ones. Also, when you water too much, it makes your lawn less drought resistant.

A healthy grass root system develops a system about six inches deep. This means you have to water your lawn long enough for water to reach that depth. You can check this when watering by lifting up the sod with a shovel to see how far down the water has reached. When you time it, then you’ll know exactly how long you have run your sprinkler system or hose. Here are some easy tips on watering in El Paso, TX:

1. Watering at the correct time: There are sometimes you will need to water your yard, such as when the rainfall is inadequate. Watering it when the weather is dry or a little humid and in the morning. Watering between 6 am to 10 am is a perfect time, avoid watering at night because the water spray will cling to the narrow blades of grass and can cause diseases to develop.

2. Avoid the windy days: When you water in windy weather, the water evaporates at a more faster rate. This means that water is soaked less into plants and soil. Plus, when it’s windy, you can’t efficiently apply the amount of water needed.

3. Using sprinklers: If you want to reduce the amount of time you spend watering grass, then invest in a built-in sprinkling system for your yard. You can program it to run the right amount of time and the right amount of water. If you don’t want to invest in a built-in system, then you should buy an above ground sprinkler.

A pulsating sprinkler shoots the water horizontally and is used on grass that has grown to its mature level. It isn’t used on seeds because it can wash them away. An oscillating sprinkler is the one you want for grass which has just been planted or is in the seed state. The pressure isn’t high, and it won’t wash away the seeds.

Fungal diseases

When your lawn develops lawn fungal disease, it can look like dead brown patches, to spots, threads, rings, or slime. Fungal infection is hard to get rid and can destroy your yard. Here are some of the most common causes of fungal diseases:

1. Drought and overwatering
2. Mowing improperly such as mowing too low
3. Soil which is compacted
4. Too much fertilizer or using the wrong type for your lawn
5. Planting the wrong type of grass for your yard
6. Weather conditions like humidity and temperature

Signs of fungal diseases

Some signs will show up if your lawn is developing or has a fungal disease. Here are some signs of fungal diseases in your yard:

1. Brown, white, or yellow patches in your yard that keep increasing in diameter.
2. If the grass blades are distorted, discolored or thinned out in patches.
3. If there are red, orange, purple, gray or black spots on the stems or blades of grass.
4. If the grass is black, gray or pink powdery or threadlike coatings on the grass blades or around them.
5. If there is wet looking, slimy, darkened or greasy looking grass.
6. Brown patch will show up during hot and humid weather.
7. Fusarium blight likes hot, dry conditions.
8. Dollar spot will like cool nights and heavy dew.

Knowing what type of grass you are growing and the recent weather conditions can help narrow down what kind of fungal disease you are fighting.

You can have a beautiful lawn when you know what to look for during your lawn care practice. For additional help with your summer lawn care needs, visit our El Paso lawn care page for more information.