It is not just enough if you focus on creating a beautiful lawn in your yard. You should also concentrate on its maintenance. Certain lawn maintenance tips have to be followed throughout the year. Caring for a lawn especially in drought conditions is very much necessary. In spite of the watering bans, a brown lawn can survive even during a drought. The grass can be allowed to become dormant. The lawn may green up in the fall as long as the root survives, when the drought breaks up in August.
A lawn can be made to manage the drought conditions by managing water consumption. It can reduce the amount of water required for the growth. Special automatic irrigation systems can be used to increase the efficiency of watering.
A proper soil management system is necessary to maintain a lawn in drought conditions. The water holding capacity of the soil depends on its composition. Compared to a loamy soil, a sandy soil has less water and nutrient retaining ability. The turf is hence weaker and there are more chances that the root systems get dried out in a drought stricken sandy soil. In order to aid water and nutrient retention, you need to add humus rich compost to the soil profile.
Drought-tolerant grasses can be grown in your lawn. Unlike traditional turf species, they can withstand extended periods without watering. Several drought-tolerant grasses are there among which, some include Fescues, Buffalograss and Bluegrass.
Remember that you should not mow the lawn when it is wilted. Compared to the normal conditions, weeds present a great challenge during drought conditions. You should never apply herbicides during a drought. Application of weed control elements increases the damage of the lawn. The lawn may get affected with insects like chinch bugs and sod webworms during hot and dry weather. If no timely treatments are provided, the extent of damage increases. In order to aid the recovery, apply slow-release fertilizer after the drought breaks. Make a note of these points and provide proper lawn maintenance so that it is managed even during drought.