by Randy Greene, Greene’s County Store & Feed
Missouri had the hottest July on record in 2012. Fescue and bluegrass lawns are not suited for the high nighttime temperatures that we experienced this summer.
No matter how much you watered, you likely still had parts of your lawn die, or maybe the entire lawn died.
In extreme temperatures, grasses will go dormant, but as long as the area right above the root system (the crown) stays viable, your lawn will come back.
However, the combination of extreme temperatures and lack of moisture can kill the crown. Areas of the lawn that don’t recover are sections that surround items that hold heat during the night, such as sidewalks, paved roads and utility boxes. Also, areas that have little water-holding capacity, such as soils with low organic material and high points in the terrain, do poorly. In addition, most of the soils in the St. Louis area are higher in magnesium, which tends to become compressed in dry periods and will not hold water very well.
To get your lawn to recover, you need to fertilize it with a fertilizer that has a modest level of nitrogen -— 18 to 22 percent — and/or use a good organic material fertilizer (our preferred suggestion). When you fertilize, you will bring back any areas where the crown is still viable. The areas that don’t recover can be reseeded between now and November.
A soil sample can help you add the correct amendments to your soil to make your lawn stronger, helping you avoid the extreme loss that many homeowners are feeling this year.
We have what you need to bring back your lawn, and we would love to help you do it. Please stop by to talk about your options.
Randy Greene is the owner of Greene’s Country Store and Feed, 8621 Hwy N, Lake Saint Louis, MO 63367, 636-561-6637.
Greene’s Country Store is dedicated to providing knowledge and products to keep your animals happy and healthy. We carry an extensive selection of products for your animals, gardens, lawns — anything for people who live an outdoor lifestyle. We are also very excited about our newest categories: natural food items and organics. If we don’t have the product you need, we will do our best to get it.