# How to Use Hot and Humid Weather to Improve Your Lawn



## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

It strikes me that there are some GOOD things to do in the heat of summer. All is not lost.

When it is hot out, you just _know_ that the lawn microbes are busy. Put 'em to work.

Lowering pH? Add sulfur.

Want more microbes? Feed 'em molasses. Extra points for kelp, humid acid, and yucca. Kelp is a fertilizer, humid acid is carbon to hold water and nutrients, yucca is a natural surfactant. Apply all in a single foliar spray. Exact measurements are largely unimportant. Throw 'er down, watch it grow!

Want nitrogen? Add organic slow-release fertilizer like Morganite. Yes... feed your grass... even in the summer.

Hate grubs? Add milky spore disease as a preventative. Hot, humid weather seems to be a bio-indicator for beetle reproductive activity. Their babies hatch as grubs. Grrr....

Want to remove salt? Add gypsum. Get calcium as a bonus.

What else am I missing that voracious microbes can oxidize for us? Other thoughts? Comments?

B


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Nurse it through the hot weather.... save all the time, energy and products for another 4 weeks and get much bigger gains...


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Nurse it through the hot weather.... save all the time, energy and products for another 4 weeks and get much bigger gains...


Welllll... you know...I don't know about that...

Hi, @Stuofsci02!

I would ordinarily agree. Just chill, let things coast along... try not to kill anything... a lot of folks let their lawns go dormant!

Our northern seasons are so short. Time is precious. I don't like wasting this precious time and there ARE some good things to do. Why not get them done?

A lot of guys need to lower their pH. Sulfur does just that but the granular stuff needs microbial action to break it down. That's the oxidation part. There is no better time than the hazy, hot, and humid part of summer to get things "rusting" away!

So many folks have a thatch problem. That's because the dead roots, grass, and debris isn't decaying fast enough. You need that micro-herd to get it going. The Triple-H weather (hazy, hot, humid) is a great time to build up that herd by feeding them molasses.

I am in the Feed and Water Through Summer Camp. That juicy, slow-release fertilizer is just the ticket. Nice and gentle. No shock to the system.

And, you know, the grubs... man, the grubs! I don't want any grub problems, thank you very much! I'm seeing beetles flying everywhere! I just _know_ they are laying their grub-hatching eggs. I want my milky spore disease IN the lawn and READY for them to eat so that they spread that disease around!

And... so many of us add too much salt (potassium) to our lawns' diets as we love the lawns to DEATH!  If you need to cut salt out of the diet, gypsum will do it.

The Triple-H weather is good for a lot of things if you think about it. There are probably some other things I am missing like adding compost. No real harm there if you don't have disease pressure and don't over-do it.

I add iron and plant growth regulator (PGR) but that's pretty standard if you've kicked it up a notch... I go out there and spot-treat weeds in the mornings. I'll spray neem oil on flowers and vegetables in the evenings.

Sure, it's hot and sticky in much of the U.S. these days. We're all dying down here. (How is it in Canada? Go ahead, make me cry!  ) Around here, we NEED something to do to our lawns to avoid withdrawal symptoms!  These treatments won't go to waste.

If you were to do ONE thing this weekend... like if someone stuck a gun to your head and MADE you do "something," what would you pick?

B


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Great post. Only thing I'd add is that I went outside just now and felt how much transpiration there was in different areas. There's been a pattern evident all season; I've been doing this consistently.

Regarding your post, guess what? I took advantage of the timing a few days ago and dropped some more of my Spring fertilizer, which was delayed due to seeding. Guess what the organic fertilizer I used on my side lawn has added into it...molasses.

Looking to do humic acid and micronutrients next week.


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Green said:


> Looking to do humic acid and micronutrients next week.


Yep! I'm big on getting down and dirty with the soil. I can't believe I haven't taken greater notice of this foundation before. Summer is Prime Time for soil amendments.

My soil test two years ago was an eye-opener. This year, I did a mason jar test to check my soil texture/make-up. I was FLOORED by the results! Not good...

Now I'm a big compost guy. I think I finally found a good use for mulch (don't get me started).

By the way... talk to me about enviro-transpiration, please. Another regular (I wish I remember his name... I think it is in the Heat Wave thread) said he was losing a quarter inch of water a day according to a local weather station.

How are you checking transpiration? How are you offsetting it? Things like that... Maybe start a separate thread to keep things organized... That would be a good thread, I bet.

Murph


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

BXMurphy said:


> Green said:
> 
> 
> > Looking to do humic acid and micronutrients next week.
> ...


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@BXMurphy,

I wonder if it gets too hot for the type of microbes we like, too.

The evapotranspiration increases in the heat, the main reason why we go through water faster and have to replace water more often.

The evaporation part is the easy one to visualize.

The transpiration is tougher. So, I go out at night and touch the grass, since I can't feel the wetness during the day. I've found that the more recently the grass was watered, the more damp it is. The night after a watering the morning before, it's quite damp. But as the days go by, there's less nighttime transpiration. At first I thought it was simply never drying off after watering, but that's not the case. The moisture is actually coming out of the plants.

There are anti-transpirants you can buy and apply, but I have only barely scratched the surface. I've used Nu-Film 17 several times, and it apparently has some minor anti-transpiration properties, but that wasn't the primary reason for using it; I wanted to keep my bio fungicide from washing off the new grass when watering. It has a chemical in it that's in pine sap, kind of sticky and coats and seals/protects the plant leaves to some degree. Smells vaguely like pine, too.

There is a thread about a stronger solution here: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=7201


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## Babaganoosh (Apr 21, 2019)

I think a lot of people suffer from I-have-the-need-to-do-somethingitis.

Just make sure you do those things in the cooler parts of the day. Even kelp will burn at high temps.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

BXMurphy said:


> Sure, it's hot and sticky in much of the U.S. these days. We're all dying down here. (How is it in Canada? Go ahead, make me cry!
> B


90's with 80% humidity. 117 yesterday with humidex. 110 on Friday with humidex. Been this way all month.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

BXMurphy said:


> Stuofsci02 said:
> 
> 
> > Nurse it through the hot weather.... save all the time, energy and products for another 4 weeks and get much bigger gains...
> ...


In the hot months I try to minimize what I do to the lawn (aside from watering and cutting). Unless I know there is an issue or have a plan to get something done, I am trying to keep things green and from going dormant (I have irrigation). Normally I may raise the cut although this year I am trying to get as low as I can on my rotary mower (1.75"-2"). We have had hot here for the past few weeks (90's with heat index into the 100's). This is going to break today and will be back into the 80's... I can wait until Aug to start pushing things into the lawn... I do apply Iron to help keep the color while I am not applying Nitrogen..


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Stuofsci02 said:


> In the hot months I try to minimize what I do to the lawn (aside from watering and cutting). Unless I know there is an issue or have a plan to get something done, I am trying to keep things green and from going dormant (I have irrigation). Normally I may raise the cut although this year I am trying to get as low as I can on my rotary mower (1.75"-2"). We have had hot here for the past few weeks (90's with heat index into the 100's). This is going to break today and will be back into the 80's... I can wait until Aug to start pushing things into the lawn... I do apply Iron to help keep the color while I am not applying Nitrogen..


@Stuofsci02, this is sensible.

I am a big believer that if your lawn can't survive a week without you, you're doing something wrong.

@Babaganoosh is correct in saying that people just _have_ to do "something." No, you don't.

I'm not so sure about his statement that kelp will burn grass in high temps, though. Is that correct??

B


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Harts said:


> 90's with 80% humidity. 117 yesterday with humidex. 110 on Friday with humidex. Been this way all month.


Gosh... even in Canada! I never would have thought. I didn't even think Canada needed air conditioning in the summer... Doesn't everyone in Canada live in igloos?

Ok, ok... kidding... KIDDING! 

Seriously... heat wave in Canada, too, huh? High humidity and everything? Wow!

B


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Green said:


> I wonder if it gets too hot for the type of microbes we like, too.


I suppose it could... and then your lawn would not be called "a lawn"... It would be called "the desert." 

Cue the call of a vulture...

B


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## john5246 (Jul 21, 2019)

BXMurphy said:


> It strikes me that there are some GOOD things to do in the heat of summer. All is not lost.
> 
> When it is hot out, you just _know_ that the lawn microbes are busy. Put 'em to work.
> 
> ...


I thought you mentioned that you were new here. Have you tried any of this stuff yourself? Are you speaking from experience or just throwing out ideas that you think might work. I'm beginning to see lawn care a lot like economics discussion, if it sounds good just throw it in :lol:


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

john5246 said:


> I thought you mentioned that you were new here. Have you tried any of this stuff yourself?


Oh, yeah... I do all of the above. But, you're right, a lot of stuff in any given niche or hobby is quackery. Just check some of the ads for weight loss as one quick example...

B


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@john5246 some of these ideas are not what most members do. Sometimes the best course of action is to do nothing and wait for a better weather. Check the lawn journal from members to see what works or doesn't for them. Ideally from members near you.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Nurse it through the hot weather.... save all the time, energy and products for another 4 weeks and get much bigger gains...


+1 in regard to soil amendments, major changes, etc.

Clearly Stuofsci02's approach works -- have you seen the most recent photos of his lawn? (in quote below)



Stuofsci02 said:


> Cut at 2" HOC... I think this is the best it has ever looked and it is mid July at the end of a two week heat wave... Three passerby's stopped their cars to ask about it..


From my perspective, for a cool season lawn, the most important way "to use hot and humid weather to improve your lawn" is to continue basic maintenance practices in such a way that minimizes damage from the hot and humid weather. I think there are 3 key maintenance practices that become doubly important in summer:


Regular mowing, but at times that minimize detrimental impact to the lawn. Regardless of the height of cut, follow the 1/3 rule as much as possible. Summer heat is brutal on a lawn that suddenly goes from 6" high to 2" high. Don't mow in the hottest part of the day; avoid mowing at all on a scorching hot day. Personally, I find the best time to start mowing is the time that has you finishing up about 10-20 minutes after sunset. This will give the grass the longest cool period to recover from the mowing before it gets hot again.


Proper watering, neither too much nor too little. Track natural precipitation and supplement as needed. Even coverage of the irrigation system is important. Do an irrigation audit if you haven't in a few years. Adjust those heads for even coverage; change nozzle sizes if you need to; adjust your times per zone to get even watering everywhere. Deep and infrequent helps.


Monitor disease and act quickly when needed. Follow the preventative program you've chosen, whether using synthetics, organics, or just maintenance practices. Watch for issues and be ready to act quickly.

Two other items that are things you should have done in the spring to prepare for the summer are a preventative grub application and a preventative crabgrass pre-emergent. If you did those in the spring, you'll reap the benefits now. If you didn't, then you're running the risk of problems in those areas, with less that you can do about it now. ("An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.")

If you can do all three of the above, your cool season lawn will get through the summer with minimal regression, and when temperatures start to cool down (as early as mid-August for northern folks and maybe not until mid-September for southern folks), you can get going again with the fertilizer, weed control, seeding, etc.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Here is my takeaway from this thread: Do what you want/feel you need to do. But heed caution if your lawn starts looking stressed. What works for one may not work for another. There are very few absolutes in lawn care and many ways to get great results.

We just had about 2 weeks of really hot and humid weather - 90's with high humidity, which pushed the temps well over 100 (no, not all of us live in igloos :smile We are finally getting a break with more seasonal temps for the next 10-14 days. My process included cutting every other day between 11/16 and 13/16" and making sure that I wasn't over watering. I ended up putting down Headway G at the curative rate a couple of weeks ago to take care of some brown patch. My grass stayed relatively green with minimal heat stress.

With the cooler temps this week, I am going to take advantage and drop my mix of PGR + Iron + Urea tonight.

Off topic, @BXMurphy you might be surprised to know that you may very well get worse winters than I do. Many parts of the eastern US get hit much harder with snow storms and cold temps than we do in the GTA. I went to college in Virginia and experienced far worse snow accumulation and ice storms than back here in the Great White North!


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## Babaganoosh (Apr 21, 2019)

Harts said:


> Here is my takeaway from this thread: Do what you want/feel you need to do. But heed caution if your lawn starts looking stressed. What works for one may not work for another. There are very few absolutes in lawn care and many ways to get great results.


Bingo..

I'm going to add that really hot weather generally amplifies anything that goes bad. An application that normally might be fine could end up wiping out half your turf if it's 100 degrees out.

It seems less is more during the summer heat.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Babaganoosh said:


> I'm going to add that really hot weather generally amplifies anything that goes bad. An application that normally might be fine could end up wiping out half your turf if it's 100 degrees out.
> 
> It seems less is more during the summer heat.


The above is a good way to summarize it - risks are amplified in summer heat. It's not that you can't do some things (like fertilization or weed control) but that the risks of a misapplication are amplified. I like it.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Who the hell wants to be working out in these higher temps anyway? I can see that my lawn is browning from the comfort of my home.


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