Drought Management Strategies for Lawn and Landscape

As Southern New Hampshire enters into a second week of 90° temperatures, the browning lawns are an indication that we may also be experiencing the beginnings of a “flash-drought” – an abnormally dry period after a wetter-than usual spring. These drastic temperature and precipitation shifts can cause stress to the turf, trees and shrubs in your landscape.

When considering drought management strategies for lawn and landscape, know that turf grass and landscape plants respond differently to drought and have different watering needs.

Summer Watering for New Hampshire Landscape Plants

Most New Hampshire landscape plants can withstand periods of drought because they store nutrients in their stems and root systems. However, drought stress can cause them to slow down growth as they use up their reserves.

If your goal is to have a mature landscape sooner rather than later, here are several tips to keep your plants hydrated during hot, dry summer months:

deep root feeder for watering trees
A root feeder (without fertilizer) is useful for deep-watering Rhododendrons in a drought
drip irrigation line in a planting bed
Drip irrigation delivers a calibrated amount of water directly to the root zone

Summer Watering for New Hampshire Lawns

Cool-season turf grasses that grow in New Hampshire lawns tend to go dormant when temperatures are consistently above 80°. Once a lawn has dried out it is difficult to bring it back. However, you can keep your lawn green and growing throughout the summer with an irrigation system.

Here are a few summer watering tips for New Hampshire lawns:

hydretain treatment on lawn
The green patch that you see in this lawn was treated with Hydretain
adjusting a lawn irrigation head
A properly-calibrated irrigation system is your best defense against drought

How Groundhog Landscaping Can Help

Our irrigation division is very experienced not only in installation, but also in troubleshooting and irrigation system repairs. They can add drip zones to your planting beds and calibrate your controller the optimal spring and summer watering schedule.

How Groundhog Turf Care Can Help

Keeping your lawn and plants healthy helps to minimize effects of drought stress. Groundhog Turf Care applies a premium nutrient-rich fertilizer in their five-step lawn care program which promotes deep root growth. Their lawn care techs keep a watchful eye out for turf insects and fungus that can decimate a lawn. The Plant Health Care services that Groundhog Turf Care offers provides deep root fertilizing services for trees and shrubs as well as a spray program to keep them pest free.

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