First Aid for Drought Damage!

At temperatures above 25 ℃, many grasses enter into a state of rest. There is much difference between grass varieties. Some varieties can survive the extreme heat and drought, while others succumb. The following simple test will tell you whether the grasses in your turf are still alive.

Vitality test:

1. Remove a piece of turf from the ground with a scoop.
2. Put this in a bucket with water and allow the grass clump to completely saturate.
3. Let the water run out of the bucket, leaving the grass clump behind.
4. If white roots appear on the underside of the clump after 2 to 3 days, the grass plants are still alive.

Conclusion step 1: White or brown roots?

The grass plants that produce white roots can recover if moisture is made available. If no new white roots appear between the brown roots, the grass plant is unlikely to have survived the heat and drought.

Caution: Danger!

Because the existing grass plants are very weak or dead, there will be plenty of room for new plants. These may include unwanted plants such as annual meadow grass or weeds. Many seeds of these plants probably remain in the soil and will germinate if moisture is made available. If the turf is not assisted in its recovery, these plants will take over, resulting in the development of ugly and weak turf.

Good vitality is not a guarantee that the turf will also recover; it is essential that the soil absorbs water. If the soil is water repellent, the turf will not recover, not even if it gets water. Water-repellent soil is caused by stress in the grass plants, other plants and soil organisms during hot and dry periods. As a result, water can no longer, or sometimes only locally, enter the soil. Water-repellent soil makes it even more difficult for the dried grass plant to recover when rain falls again, because rainwater does not reach the roots. The issue of water repellency must therefore first be solved.

Drop test:

The following test gives a good indication of the water repellency of the soil:

1. Use a spade or gouge to cut out a piece of turf.
2. Put a drop of water at every 2 cm depth.
3. If it takes more than 1 minute for the droplet to be absorbed by the soil, the soil is too water repellent for normal recovery of the turf. Overseeding in water-repellent soil will have no effect.

Conclusion step 2: water-repellent or not?
If the soil is water repellent, there is no point in overseeding with a normal grass seed mixture! Water will not be able to reach the seed for germination and possibly germinated seeds cannot grow into plants if water cannot reach the roots. Barenbrug has a solution for water-repellent soils: Yellow Jacket Water Manager! This revolutionary seed treatment with Yellow Jacket Water Manager combats water repellency and prevents it from recurring during the period that the young grass plants grow into mature plants (establishment period). Your turf will once again be strong and vital with healthy, strong young plants. This technology is applied with all Resilient Blue^® grass mixtures.