Your lawn is important to you and you want to do everything you can to protect it. While there are lawn care mistakes that can harm your lawn, there are also factors that are out of your control, such as environmental effects.
Unfortunately, here in Texas, we do have some relatively extreme conditions like drought and heat waves, which can have a significant impact on the lawn.
In this article, we will discuss Texas lawn environmental factors you should be aware of. Understanding how the weather and local environment can impact your lawn will help you make the best choices for lawn care, even when there are factors that are out of your control.
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Here in North Texas, we have a humid subtropical climate. We often have very hot summers but we can still have cold winters (though more mild than many other parts of the country).
The summer can be an especially difficult season for lawn care here in North Texas.
Temperatures can exceed 100 degrees and drought conditions are common. Our hot and dry summers are stressful on grass and our sandy Texas soil struggles with holding water.
We’ll look closely at these issues and more as we explore weather effects on Texas lawns. While we certainly can’t help you control the weather (we wish we could!), we can provide you some helpful tips to help proactively prevent problems. The healthier that your lawn is, the better it will fare, even when conditions are tough.
Drought conditions can have a major impact on lawns in Texas. When grass does not receive ample water, it can experience physical stress. A drought-stressed lawn will likely start to wilt and turn brown.
You must be proactive about preventing drought stress. It’s not something that you can necessarily “catch up” on later.
You’ll also want to pay special attention to your watering habits when it comes to protecting your lawn from drought stress.
Lawns require one to two inches of water per week (whether via rainfall or irrigation). During the summer, we typically recommend watering three to four days per week to achieve that goal as rainfall is likely to be limited.
Much of the guesswork can be removed when you have an irrigation system installed.
Watering restrictions during periods of drought can sometimes make this complicated. That’s one reason why it’s so important that you are getting the most out of watering with an efficient irrigation system that isn’t wasting any water.
Of course, during intense periods of drought, there may be times that you simply can’t prevent drought stress from occurring. Lawns do have a natural defense mechanism against drought, which is to go into a state of dormancy. But in extreme cases, lawns (or sections of the lawn) can die if these conditions remain.
With temperatures in North Texas routinely hitting high digits, lawns can also experience heat stress.
Heat stress occurs as a result of hot and dry weather (and insufficient water, leading to drought stress, which we just discussed). Heat stress first kills the tips of grass blades but can spread from there. This occurs when the lawn cannot cool itself through the normal transpiration process.
Similar to dealing with drought conditions, a lawn may go into a state of summer dormancy to attempt to protect itself from a heat wave. But the long-term impact of heat waves on Texas lawns could cause a lawn to wilt, turn yellow (or brown), and thin out if it dies in areas.
Watering can help protect lawns from heat stress as it helps the grass to cool down and plays a role in keeping soil temperatures stable. Watering will obviously also help mitigate the effects of drought stress, which tend to go hand-in-hand with heat stress (since heat will further dry out the soil).
While the conversation around weather effects on Texas lawns is almost always around heat and high temperatures, the fact is, we can also get some cold weather here in Texas.
Texas lawns can still be subject to cold weather problems like desiccation, freeze damage, and fungal diseases. Sudden freezes can come out of nowhere, raising more potential for damage.
Avoid walking on frosty grass and reduce (or stop) watering when temperatures drop. This is another time when having a smart irrigation system can pay off.
A freeze sensor turns off the sprinkler system when temperatures drop to freezing or below. Otherwise, the irrigation system would run, and excess water could freeze on the driveway or sidewalk and cause a safety hazard. Frozen water can ultimately also damage grass roots.
Rainfall is a wonderful thing for lawns. But, as with most things in life, too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect.
While we often talk more about drought impact on Texas lawns, the fact is, too much rain can also be problematic. This is a lot less common than drought, but still a potential issue.
Excessive rainfall can lead to root rot or suffocation of the roots (from drowning). This is typically the result of compacted soil. When soil is compacted, water cannot percolate down to the root zone where it’s needed. As a result, soil can become waterlogged and you may wind up with areas of standing water.
The best way to prevent this is with lawn aeration.
Lawn aeration in Texas is so important due to our sandy loam soil type, which is prone to compaction. This can make it difficult for oxygen, water, and nutrients to get to where they are needed. It can also make soil more prone to becoming waterlogged, as we just mentioned.
Obviously there is nothing that any of us can do to control the weather. But by taking steps to promote a healthy lawn, you can help it better stand up to tough environmental conditions.
Things like proper mowing, aeration, and fertilization can play a vital role in promoting a healthy lawn that will be less likely to struggle.
While even healthy lawns can face issues, they will be more likely to withstand challenges if they are in good shape.
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Although there is no magic solution to prevent potential weather damage or negative effects of Texas climate, you can take some steps to help your lawn fare better in these tough conditions.
A key to your success will be partnering with a lawn care professional who can help you make the best choices and also provide high-quality lawn care services for your turf.
At Grassperson, we believe a partnership will help you to have the best possible results. If you are a homeowner who wants to have the best lawn on the block, we want to help you get there.
Maybe you want a program that includes some lawn care and maintenance, but you are willing to handle some tasks yourself. Or, perhaps it’s time to let a lawn care service manage all your yard work so you can enjoy the outdoors without getting your hands dirty.
We can work with you to come up with the right program for your property. We can create customized solutions that are best for your needs.
That means you’ll gain some peace of mind and be able to spend more time enjoying your lawn instead of stressing about it. While weather and environmental effects can be stressful, you’ll know that your lawn is in good hands.
Ready to get a worry-free lawn at your Flower Mound, Highland Village, or Lewisville, TX home? Get a free quote and get ready to enjoy the best lawn on the block with no hassles on your end.