South Florida Lawn Care: Protection From Overwatering
We all know that lawns need water to survive, and rainstorms can often help us when our grass needs it the most. We know South Florida weather can bring plenty of rainstorms, sometimes too much. Unfortunately, if there’s been an excessive amount of rain, it can cause severe damage to our turf, making lawn care during this time essential. Check out the top 3 issues excessive watering or rainstorms can do to our lawn and how you can fix it.
Fungi Issues
Lawn fungus can cause our lawn to go from lush green to brown. Fungus development is common during the rainy summer months, especially if it’s paired with warmer temperatures. Once a fungal disease emerges, it can be difficult to get rid of it. Common fungus signs include discoloring patches, discolored, frayed, or distorted grass blades, spots on grass blades, or slimy or greasy-looking grass.
Loss of Nutrients
When there is excessive rainfall or overwatering that takes place, it can wash away any nutrients that the lawn could have absorbed. Likewise, if nutrients are washed away, they cannot absorb in the root system, causing the grass to become weak, dull, and disease-ridden. While your grass is losing nutrients, the excess water allows weeds to thrive, causing further lawn issues.
Lawn Pests
Wet weather can bring an influx of pests, especially if a lawn has not been well-maintained or treated for pests. Lawn pests, like grubs, thrive in rainy conditions, and once they infest it can be difficult to control and eliminate them. If your lawn has already seen a pest infestation, you will often notice discoloration from them chewing on grass roots.
Fixing Lawn Damage
There are simple, easy ways that every homeowner can ensure their lawn stays healthy and lush green after a couple of rainstorms. Check out our lawn care tips:
- Don’t mow while your lawn is wet; wait until your grass has dried out to avoid compaction and ruts.
- Try to keep off wet grass as much as possible; walking on it can cause damage to grass blades.
- Consider aerating your lawn if it floods, either manually or with a power aerator.
- After a flood, remove any silt, debris, or moss by raking it or washing it away with a hose.
- Replenish lawn nutrients by fertilizing your lawn, even after it has recovered.
- Reach out to your local South Florida lawn care company which will provide you with a lawn care analysis and a lawn maintenance plan to avoid damage after rainstorms.