As we weather the effects of climate change (pun intended), many of you have expressed concerns about the extreme heat we’ve had this year, including watering during a drought. We share your concerns about your lawn and the environment, so here is some information to help you as you care for your little corner of the earth organically.

First, we have excellent news:

Lawns managed by Organic Bob’s REAL Organic Lawn care have a greater resiliency than lawns that are managed by “organic based” or chemical regimens.

Your lawn has deeper root zones and more beneficial biology, including fungi that give the plants necessary nutrients and water that would otherwise not be available. It has microbes that plug holes in the soil and prevent any moisture from escaping. All of this creates a more porous, protected soil that holds more water.

Congratulations! Your Organic Bob lawn is already more drought-resistant than other lawns.

You may have heard popular advice about letting your lawn go dormant in hot weather by not watering it at all. While this is an option, please know that all lawns do need some water — if you do let it go dormant, some of your lawn will still die and weeds will flourish. If you choose to do this, test your lawn’s resilience by walking across it and checking it 30-60 minutes later. If you can still see your footprints, your lawn is in stress and needs water to stay alive.

To maintain your lawn health, you have a few options to keep it in tip top shape:

1. For Best Weed Control: Continue with our usual 1″ (1-2 hour, depending on your irrigation system) per week recommendation to keep the weeds away.

2. For Highest Water Preservation: Water once every three weeks for 1 hour.* Start with 10 minutes, turn it off for 15 minutes, then turn it back on for an additional 50 minutes. (You will likely see additional weeds with this option, but your lawn and healthy soil will survive.)

*NOTE: If this is your first year with organic lawn care, your lawn will need more water this year as the soil is not yet sufficiently drought resistant. You can test the soil’s moisture level using the method outlined above.

All lawns are subject to temporary aesthetic dips in this heat, including weeds. However, it is important to maintain your organic lawn care treatments in order to avoid long-term damage to the soil and grass health. You have worked so hard to establish this drought resistance — don’t stop now! Healthy soil means your lawn will recover more quickly and completely when the weather cools, and regular weed control will be much easier to re-establish.

If you feel your lawn needs a little additional help to look BBQ-ready, contact us to set up FREE lawn assessment.