Wouldn’t it be fantastic if your residential landscape stayed fresh and green all year long? While this would be a dream come true for many homeowners, the fact is that turf must grow or not with the changing seasons. So, your lawn might grow differently based on the average temperatures where you live. Find out more about how temperature impacts your residential landscape.
When Does Grass Become Dormant?
Grass needs many elements to grow normally and healthily, including light, heat, water, and nutrients. When grass doesn’t receive sufficient vital components, it becomes dormant as a form of protection. Also, grass will stop growing due to insufficient sunlight, lack of water, or extreme temperatures.
Moreover, grass grows fast during late spring and early summer due to adequate amounts of water, sunlight, and warmer temperatures. Then, the grass stays dormant in late fall and through all of the winter because the key components become less scarce for ongoing growth.
What Temperatures Affect Grass to Stop Growing?
Healthy lawns will stay dormant during the summer droughts and frigid winter temperatures. So, how hot or cold can the temperature be before the grass in your residential landscape stops growing? Generally, grass stops growing once temperatures drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit or even above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Since soil also takes longer than air to lose and maintain heat, it will take days for a temperature change to affect grass growth. In addition, consistent warmer or cooler temperatures will notify the root of the grass that it’s time to become dormant.
Caring for Turf When it Begins Growing
Once warm weather arrives, it might not be simple to determine if your lawn is dead or dormant. If your entire property appears to be brown, the chances of it being dormant are high. However, brown spots in some areas where the grass has become green could indicate where the grass has died. Additionally, you can follow specific steps to help bring grass out of dormancy if it’s ready:
- Avoid an excessive amount of fertilizer
- Maintain a consistent watering schedule
- Control weeds
- Minimize the amount of traffic on the grass to help remove stress
Once temperatures have become warmer, it’s ideal to never trim off more than 1/3 of the grass’ current height in one session. This is because you will determine the stimulation of grass growth and density. So, cutting too much of your grass in one mow can inhibit and damage healthy growth.
Advantages of Professional Landscape Maintenance
At Atlantic Maintenance Group, we understand homeowners’ sense of pride when their landscape is in excellent condition. That’s why trusting our residential landscape experts provides many advantages, such as:
- Greener, thicker grass that increases your property’s curb appeal.
- Stronger, healthier turf that can bounce back from inclement weather and
- Minimized number of pests due to keeping weeds under control and the grass consistently mowed.
All of Your Landscaping Needs from Atlantic Maintenance Group
Atlantic Maintenance Group is a full-service landscaping company providing maintenance, design, and construction, as well as snow removal and asphalt and concrete services. We are your source for complete landscape and facility maintenance for commercial and residential properties throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. We are a self-performing landscaping company, meaning we don’t hire subcontractors, and senior management is involved with every project. Our highly trained team of professionals receives constant, ongoing education on the latest industry trends, updates, and safety measures. This ensures we can deliver outstanding customer service and results to our clients, regardless of the size of your job.