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Drought and Heat

“Rain Shadows”

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Many people are aware that tree root competition is part of the challenge of maintaining turf within the drip line of trees. But the canopy of trees also contributes to the challenge by capturing and retaining much, and in some cases all, of a rain.

Rain shadows have been evident for some time now but the damage from the soil dryness has reached moderate to severe levels over the last couple weeks. Many of the lighter rainfalls over the last month haven’t wet the grass let alone the soil under large trees at Hort Farm No. 2 in North Brunswick.

The cumulative effects of a "rain shadow" and tree root competition lead to drought stress under trees.

Dormancy vs Death

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The question of the day is… How do I know whether the grass that is losing its green color is going dormant or going to die? It isn’t always easy to tell but here are some clues that can help.

First, asses the uniformity of the grass. Is all of the grass turning brown or straw colored? Or… is the grass turning brown in spots or small patches? If the browning is occurring in spots or small patches, there is a good chance the grass plants in those spots are dying, especially if this occurs in a matter of hours to a couple days. [Read more…] about Dormancy vs Death