Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is welcome!
Thanks in advance!
HH
You are definitely over watering, and this will cause it to get yellow.
Here in the Midwest, I cannot ever remember heavy watering or rainfall causing the grass to turn yellow. This is probably a result of the grass going dormant for overall lack of water. It would be better for HH to water less often, but in larger amounts. Time of day is also a factor. He should water when the sun is low (early morning or late afternoon). I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area, which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.
Sherw> On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, h snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote: >
concentrate on the
What kind of grass is in your lawn? Do you have clay in your lawn dirt? If you have clay the water can simply run off those spots and not benefit the grass. Watering clay should be done lighter and longer so it can soak into the ground.
How much water in inches are you putting on the lawn? Get rain gauges and put them around the lawn and measure the amount of water being deposited. Thirty minutes watering time is a fact that doesn't mean much alone, since I have no idea if you are hand watering with a water hose or flooding with a dozen high volume sprinkler heads. Thirty minutes with a water hose on a football field size lawn isn't much. I water part of my front yard (30' x 40') with three sprinkler heads for 20 minutes twice a day for three days a week, and it is a small front yard.
Regards,
Hal Zone 8
I concentrate on the
Our drought here in Chicago this year is supposed to be the worst ever since they have been keeping records. It's worse than 1988, the last real bad Midwest drought. As far as I know, it's useless and a waste of water to try and keep grass green. Let it go yellow and keep the trees watered. The grass will come back but a tree won't if it dies and the young trees are most vulnerable now. I was out in the suburbs last weekend and found the yellow lawns rather attractive, indicating just how bad of a drought we're in. Another side benefit of a yellow lawn is that you don't have to cut it very often if at all. When I see a lush green lawn under these circumstances I see someone who wastes water, a consumer that has a me me attitude with little regard for the rest of society that they live in. Considering that we may not get another drop of rain for the rest of the year, suburban water reservoirs are going to get real low.
Right now I'm looking at a Honey Locust in the parkway that is turning color due to lack of water. I think it will survive since it's over 30' high so a good drought like this may toughen it up in subsequent years. The newly planted trees on the other hand will need help to get through this summer.
Thank you all for your suggestions. But confusing. Is it overwatered or overall lack of water?? Does it need iron? I just bought Ironite and plan to apply Ironite tomorrow. I posted some photos here:
Thanks in advance!
HH
Bourne Identity wrote:
I concentrate on the
I don't know what kind of grass in my lawn. I do have a sprinkler system and every day I think I water it with about 0.3-0.5 inches of water. Someone suggest to apply Ironite. I will try that and water it every two days with more water. Some photos here:
Thanks in advance!
HH
You are watering too frequently with too little water, causing shallow roots. Water every 5 days before 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm, with about 1 inch of water, which will reduce your overall water use. Put out a tuna fish or cat food can to see how long it takes to water 1 inch.
Water Every 5 Days
here:
Well, my suburb gets it's water from Lake Michigan. Any danger of that drying up?
Sherw> > > I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
but I concentrate on the
Rather than guess, take a spade and cut a chunk of sod from one of the yellowed spots and from one of the green spots (don't worry, you can replant it easily).
Look for:
1) soil moisture well down into the root zone in both places, or just one? 2) do the root systems seem equally well developed in both places, or just one? 3) do you see insects, grubs, etc. in one sample? 4) do the roots look and smell the same? 5) are you dealing with similar soil types? 6) are there different amounts of thatch (dead material just above the soil) 7) do the grass blades look similar or different when you compare the two sods? (same width, same basic structure?)I'm guessing that you're watering too little, too often. About an hour after you water, the soil should be damp about 4-6" down from the surface, with no puddling or ponding on the surface. Deep, relatively infrequent waterings encourage deep root growth -- 3/4 to 1" of water is generally recommended at a time in Houston, then watch for signs of wilting before watering again.
My other guess is that the yellowing you're seeing is due to something wrong with the root system -- a fungal disease, grubs or other insects, or something odd in the soil (thin soil over rocks, perhaps?) Watering help:
Kay
Hal
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.