How to treat your lawn during heat wave

It’s been typical July weather in Lincoln: consecutive days with temperatures in the 90s.

Judson Irrigation owner Judson Byleen said all that heat causes stress to your lawn.

“It’ll slow down its growth pattern,” Byleen said.  “There’s also the possibility that fungus might come in and certain diseases that thrive on hot and humid weather.”

A lot of folks counter that by watering their lawns generously, but Byleen said that’s not the best idea.

“The common thought is ‘if 30 minutes of watering is good for my yard, 60 minutes will be a whole lot better,'” he said.  “Well, that’s not necessarily the case because what you’re going to find out is that the additional watering oftentimes simply runs off.”

Which means you’re not getting the most out of your water bill.

Byleen said instead, water different areas of your yard in 15–minute intervals.

He said it’s actually better to let your lawn dry out before watering it again.

In general, your lawn needs about one to 1 1/2 inches of water per week to maintain green color and active growth.

When in doubt, probe the soil to see how much moisture is in the ground.

As for mowing your lawn when it’s this hot and dry, Byleen said you should set your mower to the highest possible height so that you’re not stressing the grass each time you mow.