# Why all the Heat Stress??...



## TXG (Mar 2, 2020)

Hey Guys just wanted to ask how everyone is hanging in their with the sudden heat stress that has been placed on our warm season lawns. It seems like all my awesome progress I've made on my Bermuda lawn overhaul (2400sq ft) is now going south quick in the last 3wks with all the 100 plus degree days we've been having here in Central Texas. I'm currently doing 3 half inch waterings on my lawn M,W,F at 5am but this doesn't seem to be working as well. I read a sod farm article where they recommend .70" inch every 5 days during high heat periods. I know syringing also supposed helps but I'm curious about trying actual wetting agents like Hydetrain, Soaker Plus, and PelletPro stuff, if it'll will make a difference on this. I have been using Revive Liquid Lawn monthly and adding a little extra LawnStar Aerator but I imagine true wetting agents are much better? So I guess my real question is how do you deal with heat stress and avoid Ginormous water bills? Any and all advice is appreciated, thx everyone!!

- TXG


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## dubyadubya87 (Mar 10, 2020)

Northeast Texas here. I'm watering 30 minutes (approx. 1/2"), every three days. Also supplementing that with a cocktail hour 'spritzer' in the evenings: using a water breaker on my garden hose and walking my front yard (70 days post-seeding, zoysia). Have also raised my HOC, skipped yesterday's mid-week trim, bringing it up to an even 1".
Hopefully this will help, but as to the ginormous water bill, it be what it be.


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## PhxHeat (Oct 18, 2019)

I think the answer is right in your question.

You read an article that said sod Farms water .70" every 5 days. Yet you say you are watering 1.5" in a 5 day period. So more than double what the guys making a living off their grass are watering.

I nearly wiped out my front lawn a couple years ago in a similar fashion with too much, too frequent watering. Grass/roots need to breath as much as they need to drink. Deep watering less closely together makes the roots chase the water deeper as the soil drys. As the soil drys, it allows the roots to breathe.

My grass does well with summer watering on an every 3rd day schedule (this week Wed & Sat, next week Tue & Fri etc etc).

Adjusting my watering made a huge positive difference in my grass and water bill.


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## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

I'm still watering once a week in Boerne. No issues here. There's two spots maybe 8 sq ft total in the front that start looking dry at day 5,6,7 but that's because of poor water distribution.

I've spent the last two years really trying to improve upon my soil conditions though. I regularly put down a wetting agent like Penterra or even just baby shampoo/soap/something with SLS. I also use K4L Extreme Blend and spread granular humic acid. On top of all that, this is my third season using Tnex-PGR. There's never a singular silver bullet though. All of it together is how I've been able to do it.


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## TXG (Mar 2, 2020)

Thx for the replies guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .75" every 5 days route for now. Its make sense that I could be overwatering as i have a lds hotspot on my hotstrip that i keep watering out of panic daily and its stays soft with moisture. I realize now I'm doing more damage root wise than anything else and thats why its not recovering. I really need to start with the deep and infrequent method. Thx for the advice and if anyone else has any other helpful info, I'm all ears.

Thx again.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

Have you done a catch-cup test and a soil jar test?


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## Philly_Gunner (Apr 23, 2019)

TXG said:


> Thx for the replies guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .75" every 5 days route for now. Its make sense that I could be overwatering as i have a lds hotspot on my hotstrip that i keep watering out of panic daily and its stays soft with moisture. I realize now I'm doing more damage root wise than anything else and thats why its not recovering. I really need to start with the deep and infrequent method. Thx for the advice and if anyone else has any other helpful info, I'm all ears.
> 
> Thx again.


Have you tried doing some mid afternoon short cycles? Some people call this syringing and it helps to cool the canopy. I started this year and it seems to have made a big difference. I run 3 consecutive cycles Of 2 mins per station starting at 2:30 in the afternoon.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Philly_Gunner said:


> TXG said:
> 
> 
> > Thx for the replies guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .75" every 5 days route for now. Its make sense that I could be overwatering as i have a lds hotspot on my hotstrip that i keep watering out of panic daily and its stays soft with moisture. I realize now I'm doing more damage root wise than anything else and thats why its not recovering. I really need to start with the deep and infrequent method. Thx for the advice and if anyone else has any other helpful info, I'm all ears.
> ...


I do syringing as well for 5 minutes per zone at 12:00PM and again at 3:00PM when it is hot and dry. It makes a huge difference for me.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

I also started syringing and my grass seemed a lot happier. It's a new practice for me.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

Bermuda even at fairway height doesn't need constant water. Pound it hard when you see it wilting but other than that let it ride.


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## Buffalolawny (Nov 24, 2018)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> Bermuda even at fairway height doesn't need constant water. Pound it hard when you see it wilting but other than that let it ride.


Talking to a 70 odd year old who has worked on bowling greens, golf courses, public gardens etc over 40 years said the same type of thing about grass. Like a rosemary bush, water when it wilts a little then dont water it until it wilts again. Most people kill most plants with too much love


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> Bermuda even at fairway height doesn't need constant water. Pound it hard when you see it wilting but other than that let it ride.


I do the same thing, I wait for brown patches then I water like hell, if its still brownish the next day I water again. It's usually good for 3 days after that, depending on the level of hotness. I don't have irrigation just a rain train sprinkler. I do not use a schedule, I just wait for the lawn to show me it needs water. I started using H20 Maximizer and PGR, it seems to be helping. My grass stays greener a few days longer than the neighbors.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Buffalolawny @rjw0283 I think this is great advice. Once those blades start curling up and getting thin like needles, it's time to hit it with a bunch of water but it will bounce back no problem.

Overwatering creates a bunch of problems including flushing nutrients past the root zone, allowing weeds to germinate, decreasing the effectiveness of a pre-emergent barrier, and disease, among other things.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I think it all depends on your soil type. I have very sandy soil that doesn't hold any moisture. Yes, I'm sure the nutrients get flushed beyond the roots but it is what it is. Syringing does nothing for the soil moisture; it's just to cool down the canopy. It works for me. It could cause fungus or other problems in different soils but for me it made a world of difference almost immediately when I started.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Redtwin said:


> I think it all depends on your soil type. I have very sandy soil that doesn't hold any moisture. Yes, I'm sure the nutrients get flushed beyond the roots but it is what it is. Syringing does nothing for the soil moisture; it's just to cool down the canopy. It works for me. It could cause fungus or other problems in different soils but for me it made a world of difference almost immediately when I started.


Sandy Soil here as well. My soil doesn't hold nutrients, so I spray them every 2 weeks. Wetting Agents also greatly depend on what soil type you have and what your'e trying to accomplish. Moving or Holding.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> I think it all depends on your soil type. I have very sandy soil that doesn't hold any moisture. Yes, I'm sure the nutrients get flushed beyond the roots but it is what it is. Syringing does nothing for the soil moisture; it's just to cool down the canopy. It works for me. It could cause fungus or other problems in different soils but for me it made a world of difference almost immediately when I started.


It's not wrong to say that syringing cools down the leaf, but the effect is often over exaggerated. 5-10 minutes after the application the temperature is the same as the turf that wasn't syringed.

It's most useful in cases of wet wilt in which the grass is losing water faster through transpiration than it can take up from the roots.

Here in the Carolinas even the ultra dwarf bermuda greens built to USGA specs don't need much in the way of moisture management. The biggest issue with sand is preventing LDS, so regular wetting agent applications are key.

If you are happy with the results don't change anything of course, I'm just giving my perspective.


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

You see golf courses syringe greens, but I haven't seen that practice on fairways.

It doesn't add moisture to the soil and cools for only a few minutes.

I let the Rachio manage the early morning watering, soak, watering schedule and length. It does perfect even when it was 110+ last week watering every 3 days.


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

...


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## Buffalolawny (Nov 24, 2018)

In Western Australia, they have really sandy soils and have produced a product called Eco Hydrate to help hold water in the sandy soil. I also use SEASOL SUPER SOIL WETTER AND CONDITIONER. Which is more of a soil wetter not a water holder.

No doubt in the USA has 20 different product to our two or three.

https://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/eco-hydrate-500ml-Mar-2017-LR.pdf

https://www.seasol.com.au/home-garden/products/seasol-super-soil-wetter-conditioner/


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## Texastwostep01 (Jun 17, 2020)

Central Texas got pounded last week with heat and no rain but since I've been using PGR it has helped tremendously. I still get a few trouble spots and have diagnosed it down to two issues.

1 - irrigation just isn't perfect over my 18,000 sqft. I've done the best I can with adjustments, new heads, etc. but short of ripping it all up and starting over I just supplement by dragging a manual garden hose / sprayer to the two or 3 trouble areas when it starts to look wilted. Last week I had to do it twice with 105+ heat. You can literally see the wilting bermuda recover in less than 24 hours after you soak it well. Over 18,000 sqft it's less than 1000sqft that need this so it isn't too bad. Thank god this week looks not nearly as tough! Hang in there.

2 - The soil in certain areas just needs help. I manually aerate those areas with the two prong thingy you can step on. Then throw down a couple bags of decent soil and rake it in. Over time this seems to really help and the hot spots in the front yard that were bad last year haven't even resurfaced, even with last weeks heat. Currently fixing a few hot spots in the back.


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## rotolow (May 13, 2020)

Central Texas checking in here-

In my location we've had 1.03 inches of precipitation in the last 30 days. We went 100+ for 4 days straight last week and we've been hovering in the high 90's most other days. I can actually watch the turf wilt in the afternoons and I have multiple areas going dormant for a variety of reasons.

I raised my HOC up to 2" and not throwing any inputs at it right now. Just water and cut twice a week.

In any case! July, August, and the first half of September are survival at all costs months here. Do what you can until the rain comes back later in the year.


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