It is sweltering hot and humid out there!  Many homeowners like you want to know how you can help your lawn and garden make it through this heat.
Forecasts highs of 34 deg C (93 F) today and 37 deg C (98 F) for tomorrow will likely break and achieve all time heat records.  Then when you add in the humidity, we are well into the 40′s C (100-115 F)!
This kind of heat is the equivalent of planting your lawn into a sauna and expecting it to survive.
Here are some quick tips and reminders on how to help your lawn and valuable trees, shrubs and flowers make it through these difficult times.

WATERING TIPS
- Recognize that all plants have different watering needs, turf needs on average 1.5″-2″ of water per week over one to two waterings.  Annual flowers may need daily watering, especially if newly planted or in elevated beds or pots that dry out more quickly.  Trees need at least one good soaking every 3-4 weeks using our slow drip method (below).
- Water deeply and regularly using our guidelines:  high temperatures and wind can dessicate the ground very quickly so the soil will need replenishing. Shallow and frequent watering causes more harm than you think.  Sprinkler systems that go on every day for 10-15 minutes don’t create healthy plants and only create a false state of security.
- Water in the morning or early evening:  to prevent water loss from evaporation.  If watering at night, you may encourage some leaf diseases and fungal issues.  These normally won’t kill plants and are more aesthetic.  Better to water at night then to never water at all.
- Water the soil, not the leaves:  This helps reduce disease and leaf injury from sun scorch.
- Get a hose end timer!:  One of the main reasons people don’t get around to watering is that they don’t have the time to hang around and turn the hose off.  Well, these relatively inexpensive devices will turn off the water for you after a predetermined interval.  Budget about $25-$100 depending on manual vs. digital.
- Dont forget your trees!: They need deep watering too.  Use our slow drip method; turn the hose on just enough to achieve  a slow drip or trickle, place the hose at the base of the tree and go away for a while…  Have a cold drink and only move the hose after you see the water puddling up on the surface.  Depending on the size of the tree, you may have to move it around a few times, this method ensures the roots get a deep soaking.  Spruces are particularly vulnerable to drought stress and damage from this year often shows up in later years.  A single medium to large tree can take 3-5 hours to do this right.
- Thunderstorms are useless!:  Seriously, just because we get 3″ of rain in 10 minutes, doesn’t mean the soil absorbed any of it!  Check for yourself, grab a shovel and check a small spot after a storm, you’ll be lucky if the water soaked the top inch of soil.  The ground becomes so hard in the summer with the heat , that soil can become hydrophobic, and actually repel water, especially clay soils.  If this is the case, water in intervals until it starts to absorb (water for 15 minutes, wait 30 minutes, repeat). I recommend to disregard thunderstorms as a source of beneficial water entirely.

MOWING TIPS
The first rule is that if you follow the rules, mowing will be easier!
- Throw out your calendar: Grass cant tell if its the weekend or not, it needs to be mowed when it needs to be mowed.  This depends on the season and the weather, no matter how important or busy you think you are, the lawn doesnt care…humbling, I know!
- 1/3rd rule:  Mow as often as necessary so that you are never removing more than one third of the blade at each mowing.  The good news is, this prevents having to rake and bag clippings.  The lawn can easily absorb and decompose clippings of this size without causing excess thatch.  It will even add some nutrients back into the soil.
- Mow high: No not literally, we are talking about turf-grass! Keep the lawn at 2 3/4- 3″ high, not because I said so, but because whoever you believe created grass, made it that way.  It needs to be at the height to achieve a healthy root system and give you the nice lush look you want.  Any thing lower, reduces the abilty to produce a proper root system, and also cuts off the main leaves that give you the thick lush look, plus the leaves are the food storage- If you want the look of a golf green, then buy a $4000.00 greens mower, be prepared to water daily, install a $50,000 drainage system under your lawn, fertilize weekly, have plenty of fungicide on hand and plant bentgrass or annual bluegrass that were made to grow and be mowed that short!
- Bag clippings when weeds are in seed: The only time you really need to bag clippings is when the weeds are in flower (seeds come right after the flower), this helps to prevent the spread of weeds and is an important tenet of organic lawn care.
- Sharpen your blade: One of the most common problems we see with lawns is the “torn-look” of mowing with a dull blade.  Not only does this make the grass tips look brown, fuzzy and ragged, it invites disease by increasing the surface area for pathogen entry.
- Change up your pattern: Mow in different directions to prevent rutting, compaction and pr0duces a more vibrant stand of grass.
- DONT MOW when the lawn is stressed: especially with heavy machinery and big tires that only further rip already weak and stressed blades. Take a break, the lawn probably hasn’t even grown that much (see throw out your calendar, 1/3 rule, etc.)

July 12th 2011: (Observations from the field in the Greater Toronto Area)

This Spring brought lots of rain through April and May, in fact, record rainfalls that it made it very difficult to get out and work in your lawn and garden.  Lawns were spoiled and became complacent and lazy by not sending deep roots down in the soil to look for water.  June and July have brought very dry conditions with what is proving to be a hot and sunny summer with no rain except for the odd scattered thunderstorm (thunderstorms provide a lot of water in a short span and rarely soak the soil sufficiently).  Shallow rooted grass species such as Bentgrass, Annual Bluegrass and Rough Bluegrass expanded and thrived in lawns.  Lawns with shallow root systems are more susceptible to drought as the soil temperature is much higher near the surface.

This means lawns everywhere are going dormant, but not dead.  Dormant lawns are characterized by the yellow, brown appearance.  Most lawns can withstand not being watered for up t0 4-6 weeks, however damage can occur if they do not receive water for any longer period of time.

Most lawns will bounce back with cooler temperature and mother natures long rain showers, but how do you make sure?
Here are my 5 best lawn tips for summer lawn care:

1. Water deeply at least once a week for about 1.5 -2 hours in each area. Lawns need 1-1.5 inches off water each week to look their best.  Apply the water deeply no more than twice a week to deliver the prescribed amount.
2.  Mow high, at least 3 inches.  Longer blades up top, support deeper roots below!
3.  Only mow during the morning or evening, and only when the lawn reaches about 4 inches in height.  Mowing in high heat causes mechanical damage from the weight of the machine, and even more stress with walking on it during the intense heat and sun. (leaving the lawn to get too long and then hacking it down causes even more stress- expect yellowing within days!)
4.  Limit activity on the lawn.  The dormant blades and crowns are easily injured at this time.
5.  Check for Chinch bugs!  Chinch bugs love the heat and sun and can actively be sucking the remaining juices from your grass blades and inserting their turf killing toxic poison while you sit idly by.  Chinch damaged turf will not grow back and you will need to seed and top-dress these areas in September.
5 1/2. Fertilize only with a proper summer-balanced slow release fertilizer.  Using the wrong fertilizer can cause surge growth using up the plants vital energy for no benefit.  Better yet, you can burn your lawn by using quick release fertilizers or using too much at the wrong time of the year.

Important Notes: The typical Ontario lawn is primarily Kentucky Bluegrass.  It is important to note that you need to accept that most plants (including turf) just can’t grow in intense heat with no rain.  Even Weed Control is not as effective during high heat as the plant under stress can not absorb it adequately.  It is not reasonable to expect a Thick, Green lawn during times of drought, but with proper care, your lawn will bounce back beautifully in September while your neighbours are left scratching their heads. 

Unsure of what to do on your lawn with all this heat? Leave us a comment, we’d love to help!

2) Make a plan for the lawn and garden you want to have. Irrigation is a big investment so if you are planning to do landscaping make sure you and your installer are planning your sprinklers for what will be growing, not just what is growing right now.

3) Find out what warranties are available. Your installer should warrant their work for at least 2 years if they are maintaining the system also, but the manufacturers of the piping, heads, valves and control boxes all offer generous warranties for their products – quality lasts.  An average budget for a typical suburban lawn and for a good quality system will cost about $3300.00-$3900.00 including all parts and labour.

4) Work with your installer to come up with a plan that meets your budget and needs. A lot of things influence what an irrigation installation will cost:

• The number of Zones – that is the number of regions which can be independently adjusted and turned on and off.
• The number of heads and rotors – the more you have the finer control over the shape of the irrigated area, but they can drive cost and complexity up quickly.
• The depth of the buried pipe – deeper pipe is safer from damage but costs more to install. A minimum depth of 8 inches or more is sensible.
• The installation of valve boxes – properly installed valve boxes will make the long-term future of your system less stressful by both protecting key valves and components, and making them easier to service. Spending a little more here for durability and security will save you and your installer a lot of headaches over the life of your system.
• The controller – irrigation technology is progessing rapidly and so are the laws that govern water use and efficiency.  Make sure your controller allows you to conserve water, is expandable and can be upgraded with newer enhancements as the need arises.
• Planning ahead – being aware of sources of long-term wear and tear on a system and planning to minimize them in the initial design. Choosing a more durable stainless steel component over a plastic one in a hard-to-service area or placing a valve box slightly farther away to ensure run off is not going to collect in it and freeze over the winter. Moving things up a notch here and there at the beginning can save you a lot later.

The saying “pay now or pay later really” applies, our business thrives on systems installed for $1500.00- $2500.00 that need expensive upgrades and repairs to the system, let alone the costly problems created to the plants  while inadequate and improper watering promotes turf insects and diseases, all caused by an inferior system…