Are you tired of looking at your lawn and wondering if it is, in fact, as healthy as you think it is? The truth is that most of us don’t have an eye trained for horticulture health, which can be frustrating when one day the lawn looks green and lush and the next everything is dead. Here are some simple ways to tell if you’re battling unhealthy grass. Once you know how to visually identify the problem, you can prevent unneeded suffering, for both you and the yard.
Dehydration – One of the most common lawn killers is dehydration. This can occur in nature, during a drought, and can also be the result of infrequent and shallow watering by you. Keep an eye out for dry grass by looking for the following. First, grass will turn a blue-green color when thirsty; second, you’ll notice the blades curl due to lack of moisture in the cells; and last, be aware of footprints as they will linger longer than footprints made in healthy grass. If you are under watering your lawn, don’t sweat it, as these tips are meant to help you catch dehydration before it has a chance to wreck havoc on your lawn. Take the warning signs in stride and leave your sprinkler system on a little longer during the next watering cycle.
Weed Ratio – All lawns struggle with weeds; however, you pay special attention to ratio of weeds to blades of grass. A few stragglers are fine, but when you start to notice a steady increase of weeds, you’ve got a problem. Weeds and mosses thrive in acidic soil, so, if you find yourself battling weed growth, you should probably asses the pH balance of your soil before buying another can of weed killer. Most of the time, simply treating the soil will fix the problem.
Insect Invasion – Most insects are beneficial to a lawn; on the other hand, some can be destructive. White grubs, chinch bugs, sod webworms, and army worms are just a few insects that destroy lawns. If you know your grass isn’t dehydrated and you spot a section of brown grass, you could have an insect problem. Pull on the brown blades to see if they dislodge, if they uproot easily, and if few roots are present, you may have a white grub problem. Have you noticed that a section of your grass is shorter than the rest? This is not a growth problem; some insects actually eat blades of grass, causing sections to look like they were mowed too short. If you find yourself faced with either of these insect problems, talk to a local exterminator to find out which insects plague your area. He or she will be able to advise you on which insect control is most appropriate for your infestation.
