Emergency deep watering

Recognize drought stress

• The lawn turns dull gray-blue instead of green.
• Footprints stay visible for minutes instead of springing back.
• Leaf blades fold or roll lengthways.

At this stage the grass is alive and can recover quickly. Left longer, cool-season grass goes dormant and brown.

What to do

1. Water early the next morning, deeply: about 2–2.5 cm (¾–1 in), enough to wet the soil 10–15 cm (4–6 in) down. Check with a trowel.
2. On hard, dry or sloping ground, water in two or three shorter sessions an hour apart so it soaks in instead of running off.
3. Then go back to deep watering every few days rather than a little every day.

Also

• Raise the mowing height and mow less often until it recovers.
• Keep traffic off it.
• Do not feed until it is green and growing again.

For the routine, see how to water a lawn in summer.