Hi,
I live in the New England area. My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing. Granted
I did not start regular watering via my sprinkler system until
recently but it still does not make sense to me as I believe we have
been receiving a lot of rain. I also cannot figure out why my lawn
would be different than others on the street.

I am wondering if I am getting the run-around.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike G

On 23 Jul 2008, wrote in alt.home.lawn.garden:

I live in the New England area. My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing.

I don't know where you are, but here, just south of Boston, we've had a
ton of rain this spring and summer (it's raining again today) and
everybody's lawns are thriving. Also, our town reservoir is more full
than it's been in a few years. No drought here this year.

On Jul 23, 9:29*pm, Nil wrote:
On 23 Jul 2008, wrote in alt.home.lawn.garden:

I live in the New England area. *My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. *My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing.

I don't know where you are, but here, just south of Boston, we've had a
ton of rain this spring and summer (it's raining again today) and
everybody's lawns are thriving. Also, our town reservoir is more full
than it's been in a few years. No drought here this year.

Whether there's a drought in your area or not, I can't tell you, as I
don't live there. But it should be obvious to you. It has been
very hot in the northeast for the last couple weeks. Here in NJ we've
had several 90+ days in a row. In that kind of weather, it takes a
lot of water to keep a lawn green. Exactly how much and how often you
have to water depends on the soil, sun exposure, wind, etc. A soil
that drains quickly, a lawn with shallower roots will need to be
watered more often. Without sufficient water, the lawn will go
dormant and can survive that way for quite a while and then come back
when water returns.

How much water are you putting down each time and how often? Have
you put out some tuna cans to measure how much water is being
delivered and that all the heads are working? In normal conditions a
lawn needs a min of 1" of water a week. You want to water enough to
get the water down to the roots. In very hot weather, it can need to
be watered twice a week. After a watering, use a spade to take out a
section of turf and see how deep the water is going. In many cases,
people are watering insufficiently and the water is winding up in the
top 1/2 inch of thatch, never making it to the roots. In a typical
sprinkler system, to get an inch of water may require an hour and a
half a zone.

Of course, it's possible your lawn is actually burned by over
application of fertilizer and/or weed killer, etc. Some buffoons
love to put this stuff down, even when it's not a good idea. If it's
water related, you can tell by looking at the areas in the one foot
radius around the heads. If it's nice and green there, then you know
it's water.

wrote:

I live in the New England area. My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing. Granted
I did not start regular watering via my sprinkler system until
recently but it still does not make sense to me as I believe we have
been receiving a lot of rain. I also cannot figure out why my lawn
would be different than others on the street.


Although some will probably disagree with this, here is what I've learned
about lawns in my 14 years of being a homeowner. This has worked very well
for me and I stand by it. I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, and despite
what people might think it can get extremely hot and humid here in the
summer. During these times, when there is also little or no rain, I do the
following:

Let the grass grow long to about 3 1/2+ inches before cutting it. This is
especially relevent if your yard has little or no shade, as is the case with
my front yard which takes quite a pounding from the sun in the summer. The
longer grass buffers the grass roots from being burned out by the sun and
also actually creates a bit of shade to keep the soil moist longer, which
allows it to feed the grass longer. Many homeowners are hell-bent on
cutting their grass short (around 2 inches) all season long regardless of
conditions. These are the people on my block whose lawns burn out while
mine stays green. Yes, shorter lawns probably look better but you risk
burnout if you do that during heat/drought conditions. I'll take long green
over short brown. When it gets cooler/wetter you can switch back to a
shorter cut.

Water your lawn at least twice a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours per time. It is
better to water your lawn heavily a couple times a week than it is to water
lightly many times during the week. In drought conditions, those who water
their lawn 1/2 hour every day are just wasting their time and water. It
will do little or no good at all. Water early morning when water pressure
is high and evaporation is low. Late afternoon is the next best time.
Right now, I am watering every 3 or 4 days for 2 1/2 hours per time. Of
course, if your city/town has watering restrictions, that could create a
problem. My city has never had watering restrictions, so perhaps I'm lucky.
Also, don't be one of those damn fools who waters their lawn for 2 hours in
the middle of the day when it's 90's and humid and just about all the water
is lost to evaporation. You never want to water when the sun is high in the
sky and bearing down directly on your lawn.

A longer term solution is to plant trees on your property to provide shade
to your lawn during times of drought. Of course, this requires patience as
it might be 10 years before a tree grows enough to provide sufficient
shade. I planted a Northwoods Red Maple in my tree-barren front yard over 3
years ago and I'm still waiting for some above ground growth.

Hope this helps.

GM wrote:

wrote:

I live in the New England area. My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing. Granted
I did not start regular watering via my sprinkler system until
recently but it still does not make sense to me as I believe we have
been receiving a lot of rain. I also cannot figure out why my lawn
would be different than others on the street.


Although some will probably disagree with this, here is what I've
learned about lawns in my 14 years of being a homeowner. This has
worked very well for me and I stand by it. I live in a suburb of
Minneapolis, and despite what people might think it can get extremely
hot and humid here in the summer. During these times, when there is
also little or no rain, I do the following:

Let the grass grow long to about 3 1/2+ inches before cutting it. This
is especially relevent if your yard has little or no shade, as is the
case with my front yard which takes quite a pounding from the sun in the
summer. The longer grass buffers the grass roots from being burned out
by the sun and also actually creates a bit of shade to keep the soil
moist longer, which allows it to feed the grass longer. Many homeowners
are hell-bent on cutting their grass short (around 2 inches) all season
long regardless of conditions. These are the people on my block whose
lawns burn out while mine stays green. Yes, shorter lawns probably
look better but you risk burnout if you do that during heat/drought
conditions. I'll take long green over short brown. When it gets
cooler/wetter you can switch back to a shorter cut.

Water your lawn at least twice a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours per time. It
is better to water your lawn heavily a couple times a week than it is to
water lightly many times during the week. In drought conditions, those
who water their lawn 1/2 hour every day are just wasting their time and
water. It will do little or no good at all. Water early morning when
water pressure is high and evaporation is low. Late afternoon is the
next best time. Right now, I am watering every 3 or 4 days for 2 1/2
hours per time. Of course, if your city/town has watering restrictions,
that could create a problem. My city has never had watering
restrictions, so perhaps I'm lucky. Also, don't be one of those damn
fools who waters their lawn for 2 hours in the middle of the day when
it's 90's and humid and just about all the water is lost to
evaporation. You never want to water when the sun is high in the sky
and bearing down directly on your lawn.

A longer term solution is to plant trees on your property to provide
shade to your lawn during times of drought. Of course, this requires
patience as it might be 10 years before a tree grows enough to provide
sufficient shade. I planted a Northwoods Red Maple in my tree-barren
front yard over 3 years ago and I'm still waiting for some above ground
growth.

Hope this helps.


Yeah, but tree roots tend to suck up water as well, don't they?

On Jul 24, 10:29*am, "GM" wrote:
wrote:
I live in the New England area. *My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. *My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing. *Granted
I did not start regular watering via my sprinkler system until
recently but it still does not make sense to me as I believe we have
been receiving a lot of rain. *I also cannot figure out why my lawn
would be different than others on the street.

Although some will probably disagree with this, here is what I've learned
about lawns in my 14 years of being a homeowner. *This has worked very well
for me and I stand by it. *I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, and despite
what people might think it can get extremely hot and humid here in the
summer. *During these times, when there is also little or no rain, I do the
following:

Let the grass grow long to about 3 1/2+ inches before cutting it. *This is
especially relevent if your yard has little or no shade, as is the case with
my front yard which takes quite a pounding from the sun in the summer. *The
longer grass buffers the grass roots from being burned out by the sun and
also actually creates a bit of shade to keep the soil moist longer, which
allows it to feed the grass longer. *Many homeowners are hell-bent on
cutting their grass short (around 2 inches) all season long regardless of
conditions. *These are the people on my block whose lawns burn out while
mine stays green. *Yes, *shorter lawns probably look better but you risk
burnout if you do that during heat/drought conditions. *I'll take long green
over short brown. *When it gets cooler/wetter you can switch back to a
shorter cut.

Water your lawn at least twice a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours per time. *It is
better to water your lawn heavily a couple times a week than it is to water
lightly many times during the week. *In drought conditions, those who water
their lawn 1/2 hour every day are just wasting their time and water. *It
will do little or no good at all. *Water early morning when water pressure
is high and evaporation is low. *Late afternoon is the next best time.
Right now, I am watering every 3 or 4 days for 2 1/2 hours per time. *Of
course, if your city/town has watering restrictions, that could create a
problem. *My city has never had watering restrictions, so perhaps I'm lucky.
Also, don't be one of those damn fools who waters their lawn for 2 hours in
the middle of the day when it's 90's and humid and just about all the water
is lost to evaporation. *You never want to water when the sun is high in the
sky and bearing down directly on your lawn.

A longer term solution is to plant trees on your property to provide shade
to your lawn during times of drought. *Of course, this requires patience as
it might *be 10 years before a tree grows enough to provide sufficient
shade. *I planted a Northwoods Red Maple in my tree-barren front yard over 3
years ago and I'm still waiting for some above ground growth.

Hope this helps.


I agree with your advice. I would only disagree with your use of the
term "burn out". A lawn that goes brown is not necessarily burned.
Burning occurs from excessive fertilization, dog urine, etc combined
with reduced water and usually means the grass is dead. A lawn with
insufficient water will go dormant and turn brown and can last that
way for quite a while and then return to grow again when water is
restored.

Also, the amount of time a lawn is watered isn't a good measure of
anything. Sprinklers can be equipped with nozzles of any flow rate
and cover any size area. What's important is how much water is
actually being put down.

"FDR" fdr@kjdfgkdfkl wrote:

Yeah, but tree roots tend to suck up water as well, don't they?

Yes, they do. You have to weigh the benefits of shade and the nice look of
a mature tree on your property versus the water it will require and take
from your lawn. To me, the benefits outweight the disbenefits.

As you probably know, once a tree grows and becomes mature its root system
will extend far beyond your property and into your neighbors' property as
the tree's roots search for moisture. So your tree will be getting moisture
from your neighbors' property as well as your property. Conversely, if
your neighbors have mature trees, they are already drawing moisture from
your property.

My point is that once a tree grows to a mature size, it will not be draining
your lawn of all its moisture, but getting moisture from areas far beyond
your lawn as well. And of course, providing shade to your lawn will reduce
the lawn's moisture requirements, balancing out some of the moisture the
tree takes from the lawn.

wrote:

I agree with your advice. I would only disagree with your use of the
term "burn out". A lawn that goes brown is not necessarily burned.
Burning occurs from excessive fertilization, dog urine, etc combined
with reduced water and usually means the grass is dead. A lawn with
insufficient water will go dormant and turn brown and can last that
way for quite a while and then return to grow again when water is
restored.


Yes, I used "burn out" to mean a lawn that has gone brown. My term,
probably different from the actual technical terminology.


Also, the amount of time a lawn is watered isn't a good measure of
anything. Sprinklers can be equipped with nozzles of any flow rate
and cover any size area. What's important is how much water is
actually being put down.


True. I use basic sprinklers with just one flow setting. I think 2 to 2
1/2 hours works well under such circumstances. One could place a rain gauge
or glass to get a more precise measure of water being put down.

wrote in message
...
Hi,
I live in the New England area. My lawn is almost 90 percent brown.
I don't see any other lawns on my street burnt to this degree. My
landscaper tells me this is normal - that there is a drought going on
and most of their customers are experiencing the same thing. Granted
I did not start regular watering via my sprinkler system until
recently but it still does not make sense to me as I believe we have
been receiving a lot of rain. I also cannot figure out why my lawn
would be different than others on the street.

I am wondering if I am getting the run-around.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Do you mow shorter than your neighbors? Have you let the lawn grow really tall,
then mowed short, leaving nothing but stem?