Question
Hi,

(I live in the Toronto Canada area).
There are several dry patches on my lawn where the sun beats down. I do have a sprinker system but the last few weeks have been extremely hot with little or no rain. It it possible the lawn is dead in these areas or is it dormant and will eventually come back. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Answer
I am not fond of sprinkler systems. unless they come with very adjustable settings possible.
Most of the sprinklers I see are on during the hottest part of the day.
Some think they are cooling off the grass, when they are actually creating a steam situation.
Water droplets magnify the sun's rays. Think how much more easily skin blisters if it is wet, or the sun is glancing off the water.
Also, the water spraying into the air in the heat of the day, is evaporating at a very wasteful rate.
Your sprinkler may register 600 gallons, and only 300 gallons may be falling on your ground, depending on how hot it is.
when they temp is above 90, your water may be evaporating at the rate of 50%or more. when it is the upper 90s nd 100s, who knows how much you are paying for that actually evaporates into the air.
Water in the early morning or early evening, for best results.
I water with soaker hoses, and turn on the hoses until the water just starts to run off. I turn them off and let that soak in for about an hour or so, then turn them on again, and do this until it has soaked about 6 inches down.
This deep watering encourages a deep root system, that helps protect against heat, cold andd drought damage.
I water again ehen the top 2 inches are dry.
If you don't get bact to watering for a couple days more than you planned, there is still some moisture at the end of the roots, so they are not in so much danger.
Shallow watering makes the roots come to the surface to get water, and this exposes them to heat, and drought sooner. The roots die and trap other debris, and that is what causes your thatch buildup.
What you are experiencing now is what we here in North Texas have every year.
Right now we have had no rain in more than 6 weeks, and none in sight. My grass is thick and a lush deep green.
I watered my front yard Friday, and my back yard last Thursday, so tomorrow, Wednesday, I will start on the back yard and Thursday, I will do the front yard.
I will make sure I soak to a depth of at least 6 inches, and my grass will go through this summer like it always does, healthy and green.
We are on water rationing here, so it is illegal to water after 8am, and before 6pm.
That is because of the evaporation factor.
We just don't have enough water to lose any of it to evaporation, and we need all the greenery we can get to help absorb all this (&^%^&& pollution.
If you have a very damp climate, you can encourage fungus watering at night, but if mold and fungus is not that much of a problem, watering at night makes the best use of your water, and allows the grass and plants to get a good drink to help them through the heat of the next day.
We say it is so dry here the dogs are passing up the fire hydrants.
You might want to more thoroughly examine those dry areas. The grass can turn brown and look like it is dormant because of drought or some other causes, like brown patch fungus, or army worms.
Fungus in such dry conditions would be less likely except for the sprinkler system. It may be putting water on when it would cause a fungus.
Look to see if the grass looks chewed off. Also look for some funny looking little browm worms.
Army worms can really mess up a lawn.They can destroy it.
If it is brown patch, you will be able to easily pull the tops off the grass. Grab a handful and tug,and if it comes up easily and sometimes will feel a little slimy, it is brown patch. flood the area with baking soda disolved in water, or a chemical fungicide.
I water at night a lot, and we have a very humid climate. I don't undetrstand how it can not rain for weeks or a couple of months, but the humidity be at 50% or more, but that is our crazy climate. I have never had a fungus problem from watering at night.
If it is not brown patch or army worms, and there has not been something put on the lawn that could burn it ot kill it, put the hose on the bare spot, turn it on slow and let it soak the area down to a depth od at least 6 inches. I would do this after the sun goes down and the ground has cooled off a little.
Have you put more fertilizer on these spots to encourage it to grow?
Could you have put too much or too often. A little too much fertilizer can kill grass as fast as a grass killer can.
that is why I like the organics. If you put too much sugar in one spot, it does no harm.
Hope this helps some.
Write anytime you think I might be able to help.
Charlotte