Whether the summer brings a week of dry conditions or there is a harsher event like a drought, there are a few maintenance tips that we can recommend in order to help keep your lawn looking green and ensuring that it stays healthy. A week of consistently dry and hot weather can pull quite a bit of moisture from the lawn and do considerable damage before the next storm comes through. In fact, there are times when really dry conditions can upset the lawn for the duration of the year making it extremely hard, if not impossible, for it to come back to normal. We can offer the following tips so your lawn remains as lush, green and healthy as possible in Wilmington, DE. Core aeration is a procedure we recommend that can be quite beneficial even when there aren’t dry conditions. When you combine this process with removing thatch from the lawn, you’ll be ensuring that the roots get some much needed moisture. Dethatching will remove the grass clippings and thatch that can plague a lawn even in non-drought conditions. Aeration will create pathways to the roots so it can receive water. With these two important maintenance projects completed, even the smallest amounts of moisture can reach the roots and help the grass stay as green as possible. One of the lessons that we can take away from the recent dry conditions in the western states is the benefit of collecting rain. In drought conditions, water may be limited so digging a reservoir or trough around some of the landscaping will allow water to collect when it does rain, or when you’re allowed to water the lawn, so your trees and bushes have access to water for a little longer. There are also ways to collect water in barrels that can then be utilized for watering if necessary; be aware of pooling water though because it can attract mosquitos. There are two preventative ways to help out your lawn during dry times. One is to avoid walking too much on the grass. While this may seem odd, whenever we walk, play or run over our grass it causes stress to the lawn. Although this isn’t normally an issue, during periods of sustained dry weather, this added stress can hurt the integrity of the grass. The second preventative measure is to consider planting drought-resistant plants. This will even help you use less water in general even if there is no drought in place. Drought-resistant plants will need less water which translates to spending less money on water bills. Hopefully these dry conditions are sporadic and won’t last very long but once the rain starts to pour it’s best to properly take care of your lawn to help it stay green. Don’t over-water the lawn because this could lead to more troubles like shorter roots; fertilizing the lawn may help increase the amount of nutrients that the lawn receives and therefore make it thrive once again.