Northeast Arkansas summers bring us hot, sultry days, muggy nights, and scant rainfall. These conditions can severely stress lawns and landscapes. Keep an eye out for wilting leaves on ornamental plants and wilting turf grass (especially any planted recently). A drought-stricken lawn will usually turn a dark, gray-green color in areas of greatest stress. Also, footprints will remain visible for a long time after you walk on the lawn. Water these areas immediately.

For Starters:

Different lawn grasses grow in the Mid South United States, and each one has its own unique mowing requirements:

1. Bermuda grass and zoysia grass - mow at a height of one to one and a half inches.
2. St. Augustine grass and tall fescue - mow at a height of two to three inches.
3. Centipede grass - do not allow to grow taller than two inches before cutting.
4. Irrigated buffalo grass - mow at a height of two to three inches.
5. Non-irrigated buffalo grass - do not mow.

Actively growing lawn grass should be mowed at least once a week, and sometimes more often if it is growing fast. Let the rate of growth dictate your mowing schedule more so than the calendar. Also, cut off no more than one third of the leaf blade during any mowing. In other words, a St. Augustine lawn maintained at two inches high should be mowed when the blades grow to three inches tall. (Note: St. Augustine is not recommended for this region due to the SAD virus that is ravaging many lawns from Texas thru Alabama).

Landscape Projects

Check the depth of the mulch in your landscape beds. It should be three to four inches deep. Add more mulch if you do not have the minimum level in place, but do not exceed three/four inches. When rainfall is limited, mulch not only conserves soil moisture, but also moderates soil temperature and helps deter weeds.

Watering Wisely

Because summer rainfall is infrequent and unreliable, it is essential to water your lawn and landscape properly. The key is to water deeply with each watering to wet the entire root zone and promote root growth. Light watering discourages deep rooting and actually makes the plant more susceptible to drought stress. When there is no rain, water turf grass once a week, moistening the soil to a depth of four inches. This may require leaving a sprinkler or irrigation zone running in one area for more than an hour. Insert a garden trowel to check the depth of wetting. Although they do not need to be watered as often as grass if they are mulched properly, water trees and shrubs to a six-inch depth. Too much water can be as damaging as too little.

Tips for the Landscape

Every home that has a gutter system also has downspouts. If these downspouts are directed into the landscape bed, heavy volumes of rainwater can saturate the soil and rot the roots of nearby trees and shrubs. To prevent this damage, use splashblocks or drainage pipes to direct the water away from landscape plants.

Be Aware

Most insects are at their peak of activity during summer months. Some chew on leaves, some pierce the leaf and suck the plant's sap, and others bore into the leaf or stem of the plant, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients. Each of these insect types requires a different control strategy. Therefore, you have to first identify the insect before instituting appropriate control measures.

Unfortunately, some insects can be harmful to humans. The stings of fire ants, yellow jackets and other bees and wasps can be quite painful and even deadly if a person has an allergic reaction to the venom.

Landscape Tools

We use more power equipment during summer than at other times, so safety is of utmost importance. Here are some safety tips for the season:

1. Be sure you have all the proper personal protection equipment.
2. Be especially careful handling the various fuels.
3. Use only containers designated for fuel storage.
4. When at a gas pump, always place the gas container on the ground while filling - NEVER fill it while in the bed of a truck or the trunk of a car. Static electricity can cause an explosion.
5. Always refuel a hot engine out-of-doors. Concentrated fumes near a hot engine can ignite and cause an explosion.