Wherever you live, find out what grass grows best in your climate and most importantly, which variety requires less water and fertilizer to be successful.   Low maintenance grasses are available.  Find the one that works well in your area!

1. Lawns and gardens need about two inches per week during the height of summer.
2. Water early (near dawn) to reduce water loss through evaporation.
3. Water thoroughly and deeply. Soak the ground to a depth of six inches.
4. Don’t water lawns and landscapes every day. If you water deeply and thoroughly, you won’t have to. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out between waterings.   Containers (especially hanging baskets and window boxes) are the exception and may require daily soakings.Additionally, they suggest a 2″ layer of mulch around plants to help the soil stay moist, using compost as a mulch and removing weeds since they take water and nutrients away from your plants.    Any tips you’d like to share?

 •  Always assess your site conditions and put the right plant in the right place. If you do this, particularly in sites prone to drought, you’ll have less maintenance. A little research goes a long way before putting a plant in the ground.

•   If you must water, only water the soil at the base of your plants — never the leaves — in early morning or evening.

•   Don’t plant during dry periods. You’ll waste water and effort trying to help these plants establish.

For more tips and information on drought resistant plants, read the entire article.

And it points out the bottom line – you have two options: Tolerate the brown period as a natural dormancy stage that grass plants go through to protect themselves from drying out at the roots. Or keep watering, but do it the right way — deeply, 1 inch a week — while obeying local watering rules.

 Read more here http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/milton/2010/07/lawn_care_tips_for_a_hot_dry_s_1.html

Researchers from 18 scientific institutions used observations and calculations to determine the amount of CO2 exchange between global vegetation and the atmosphere. The new results are the most accurate to date. They have concluded that the total terrestrial vegetation captures 123 petagrams of carbon annually (in other words, 123 billion tonnes per year). The research team also discovered that precipitation played an important role in the amount of carbon that plants capture by means of photosynthesis. Precipitation plays a key role in more than 40% of the vegetated regions. 

For more on this study:

http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/10070755-role-plant-life-global-climate-accurately-determined.html

The department offered tips for helping livestock animals including cows, horses, pigs, sheep and others deal with the heat:

• Provide shade – move them to shaded pens if possible.
• Provide water – as temperatures rise, animals need to consume more water. Spraying animals with water can also help them to cool down, using a sprinkler that provides large droplets.
• Avoid overworking animals.
• Avoid unnecessary transportation – if you must, try to do so in the late evening or early morning hours.

The full release is here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agriculture-secretary-warns-high-temperatures-can-cause-heat-stress-in-livestock-pets-97949519.html

If no rain for more than 6 weeks?  Weigel says “The only time I’d think about watering would be if the lawn goes beyond that 6-week cutoff of dormancy. That’s when the crowns (the growth points) can become so dry that they die, leaving nothing to recover even after it rains.    If drought drags on to that stage, I’d do a light watering of about one-quarter of an inch. That’s just enough to give some moisture to the crowns without triggering active growth. Once or twice a week of that should be enough to maintain survival mode.”

 Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

 Here is a photo of Lucky, a.k.a TurfMutt, enjoying the office setting.  Send us a picture of your pooch at the office and we’ll post it.

Office for the Day

• Never leave your dog unattended.
• Always clean up after your dog.
• Make sure your dog is current on her shots and has a valid license.
• Don’t bring dogs younger than 4 months to a dog park. They won’t have had all the necessary inoculations that allow them to play safely with other animals.
• Don’t bring more than three dogs.
• Keep your dog on-leash until you get to the off-leash area. This is not just respectful to other park users, it’s much safer for your dog.
• If your dog becomes unruly or plays rough, leash him and leave immediately.
• If you must bring children to a dog park, supervise them closely.