Southwest Lawn Problems

A healthy lawn can provide a cool place to relax in the southwest.

Growing a perfectly green lawn in the Southwest can be difficult. The air is dry, the rain is sparse and municipalities are begging homeowners to pull out their lawns due to water shortages.

Problems

Lack of water is the biggest problem facing the Southwest gardener. With such little rainfall, it falls to the homeowner to manually irrigate the lawn. This can become expensive, so many homeowners cut back on watering, which causes stress on the lawn. Stress weakens a lawn and leaves it vulnerable to disease, weeds and pests.

Solutions

Plant drought-tolerant types of turf grass if you are planting a new lawn. Water the established lawn during the early morning when the water is less likely to evaporate quickly. Set a fertilizing schedule and stick to it so that the lawn isn't doubly stressed.

Considerations

Mowing the lawn too close too frequently puts the lawn under additional stress. Find out the base height for the type of grass you are growing and never mow under that.

References

• Guzman's Garden Centers: Lawn Care For The Southwest
• Arizona State University: Lawns: Maintenance
• "Landscape Management: Planting and Maintenance of Trees, Shrubs and Turfgrass"; James R. Feucht and Jack D. Butler; 1988