7/11/2021
What we’re noticing:
  • We had a mild week temperature-wise!

  • We even had a bit of rain!

  • Lawns have started their path to recovery. Let’s hope mild weather and regular rain continue

  • However, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor in relation to the week prior “Midwest – Across the northern tier, drought expanded in Minnesota and Iowa as high temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees above normal, combined with little or below normal rainfall, dried out soils and stressed vegetation. Rainfall deficits of 4 to 10 inches are present over the last 90 days”

      • Referencing the map below, ProLawns’ service area degraded in plant growing climate conditions

What we’re doing:
  1. We’re putting down our premium slow release granular fertilizer that will wait patiently for the rain we need. When your lawn is ready, it will green up with this fertilizer we’ve supplied

  2. We’re controlling the broadleaf weeds that thrive in these conditions. We’re doing complete blanket applications. We don’t want weeds taking over your lawn

  3. We’re applying our grub preventer to ensure the Japanese Beetle Grubs don’t damage the root system that your turf desperately needs right now

What you can be doing:
  1. Mow as high as your mower will go – if you need to mow at all

  2. Water appropriately (amount and timing are both important!)

** See the images below. All our lawns need to recover is water. We’ve done site visits for clients who believe their lawn needs more fertilizer or has some sort of disease. In every case, the lawn just has not received enough water. We are in a state of significant drought and just got through a record breaking heat wave. Good news or bad: the fix is relatively simple. Water **

  • Your sprinkler system settings for normal conditions are not enough. It needs to be doubled… at least

    • Implement a “Cycle and Soak” strategy:

      • Run each zone for 20 minutes and then

      • Run them again for 20 minutes so the first cycle has a chance to soak in instead of saturating the soil and running off

      • Start the first cycle early enough so both are done by 9am

      • Do this 4 days per week in the absence of rain (8 total cycles)

        • For each 0.25″ of rain we get in a week, skip a day of watering

          • That means if we get an inch of rainfall, watering isn’t necessary

          • Average weeks in an average summer result in about 0.5″ of rainfall and would only require the cycle and soak irrigation twice per week (for 4 total cycles)

        • You can run this cycle daily if you’d like a quicker recovery

  • Fertilizer does not turn yellow grass green – it turns light green grass dark green. Water is the only thing that turns yellow grass green