Remember Monday July 29

Remember Monday : Your Lawn

 

 

Here in Nature's 1/3 Acre, our dogs Maisie, Rosie and Coco have a lot of room to run and play.  But lately here in Ohio we have had  lots of rain. (Coming from California, I am not used to rain in the summer, or much at all.) And for us, rain means FLOODING.  We are located below a main street in our half of the village so all the water from above runs off into our backyard. The backyard does drain, but our clay soil holds the water so my lawn looks like a marsh. We have lots of names for our lawn: The Lake, The Marsh, and so on. So this year, I have been looking at what happens to the grass and what is the best way to handle it.  I am sharing this article today so you remember your lawn is a very important part of your enjoyment--and your dogs. Take a look.

Heavy rains and flooding have left many lawns waterlogged, or worse, covered in silt when flood water recedes. Nature has a wonderful way of recovering from these things, but a few points considered now could give it a helping hand.

Try to avoid walking on wet or damp grass, as it is likely to damage it. If a lawn has been waterlogged for several days, wait until water levels have completely subsided and you can walk on it without leaving wet footprints.

If you want to mow the lawn once it has dried out – just to give it a late season trim, set the mower blades to the highest possible cutting height. Do not attempt to mow a wet or saturated lawn as you risk compaction and ruts. And obviously do not use an electric lawn mower in damp or wet conditions.

If the lawn has been flooded, be aware that any silt left behind may be contaminated, so wear rubber boots, disposable rubber gloves and cover any open wounds before working outside. You should attempt to remove silt, along with any debris from the lawn – either by hosing or raking it off. Unfortunately, if your lawn has been submerged for over a week or if it is covered with more than ¾ inches of silt there is a possibility that it will need to be re-laid, but this along with any major lawn repairs will need to wait until early spring.

Lawns that have been very wet will benefit from some serious aeration – either manually using a garden fork or with the help of a powered aerator. Moss is also likely to build up in damp conditions, but remedial treatments like aeration, scarifying, top-dressing or re-seeding bald patches will now need to wait until next spring.

One thing you can do now is check for any particularly waterlogged or vulnerable areas of the lawn, where heavy rain collects. Make a note of those areas and consider preventative action you could take in the future, either by evening out the ground levels or improving drainage.

Article from: Stihlusa.com