# Dealing with summer heat/drought in a non-irrigated section of lawn



## vancwa (Oct 28, 2021)

I did a renovation of 5k TTTF in a non-irrigated section of lawn last fall. I chose TTTF specifically for it's long root system and drought tolerance.

I would like to avoid summer dormancy with this relatively new turf area. I do have some tripod sprinklers that I can use if I absolutely need to use them. In the past I've tried liquid products to either soften soil (like Air8 and others) or retain moisture (like Hydretain and others). Maybe I didn't apply these properly but I honestly can't tell you that there was any noticeable effect. I'm thinking some of this is just marketing, or a "Placebo Effect" among users.

Does anybody have experience with these type of products? How would you prevent summer dormancy in a limited irrigation area? Last year we hit over 100° on several days in a row without rain. Hopefully this year may be a bit cooler.

I appreciate any thoughts!


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

No experience with these products. If you want the grass to make it through summer, water it when rain is insufficient. Otherwise, plan to overseed in the fall. Tttf does have longer roots than other grass but ONLY once it is well established. Your grass is only in its first summer and the roots probably have not grown especially deep yet. Here is a guide to irrigation:
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=19653


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Stop wasting your money on those products and start spending that money on water. 5k sqft is nothing....watering that is an easy task. I didn't think it got that hot in Oregon.


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## vancwa (Oct 28, 2021)

Hey VAgal and Learning - thanks for the input. I agree, I'll just water the area as needed. If I pay attention, it's not hard to tell when grass needs watering. I just can't ignore it for weeks and then expect a good outcome. And yeah - it can get quite hot here. Last summer was over 105° a couple of times. So far this year has not been a repeat.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Hydretain did nothing for me this year.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Anytime I've used Hydretain, it has only helped if it was applied before the potential for drought stress, while still getting regular rain, and it had to be watered in immediately...which meant applying during rain, pretty much.

Otherwise, there was no benefit. Except maybe better weed growth.

I've been wanting to apply it this year. Since there has been no rain in 3 weeks now, I'm thinking the application window might be past.


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## vancwa (Oct 28, 2021)

Green said:


> Otherwise, there was no benefit. Except maybe better weed growth.


LOL, I seriously appreciate the humor. :lol:


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

5k is not a big area to keep out of dormancy. It's a new lawn not deep rooted yet but will with time. Just keep a eye on it for signs of stress and lay water when needed. It won't be showroom green but alive. Come late summer cooler weather and rain it will bounce back. Definitely don't put down any fertilizer until late summer when more consistent rain and cooler weather arrives. You feed the lawn now you're forcing growth when it's just trying to survive.


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## vancwa (Oct 28, 2021)

M32075 said:


> Definitely don't put down any fertilizer until late summer when more consistent rain and cooler weather arrives. You feed the lawn now you're forcing growth when it's just trying to survive.


Agree, I had no plans on Summer fertilizing. I'm not really sure why anybody markets a "Summer Stress Blend" with nitrogen.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

"Great for a hearty pop of color and sweet relief for a stressed lawn".


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

robjak said:


> "Great for a hearty pop of color and sweet relief for a stressed lawn".


I agree if you have irrigation, very little stress and no fungus pressure a lite dose of quick release nitrogen or a mild organic fertilizer does give a nice pop of color


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

vancwa said:


> In the past I've tried liquid products to either soften soil (like Air8 and others) or retain moisture (like Hydretain and others). Maybe I didn't apply these properly but I honestly can't tell you that there was any noticeable effect. I'm thinking some of this is just marketing, or a "Placebo Effect" among users.
> 
> Does anybody have experience with these type of products? How would you prevent summer dormancy in a limited irrigation area? Last year we hit over 100° on several days in a row without rain. Hopefully this year may be a bit cooler.
> 
> I appreciate any thoughts!


I've used Air-8 and think it helps. However, it needs to be applied during the spring into early summer, when there is plenty of rain to help water it in. In peak summer, you need to be careful with temperatures and make sure the lawn is wet, because Air-8 is mean you be a soil app, not a foliar app.

Hydretain has helped a little. Same thing with applying it to the soil ahead of time and watering it in. I still have some, but wanted to try something better, so I picked up an Underhill Pellet Pro applicator and Tournament Ready and H20 Maximizer pellets. These seem to be more effective than Hydretain.


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## LegionLawn (Oct 31, 2020)

I have a 10k yard and have been watering to keep out of dormancy. I agree with the above posters. Don't buy products. Just use water unless you have fungus, in which case get some fungicide.

I use a Melnor timer from lowes and MP rotators in order to make it painless and I never have to go outside to move sprinklers or turn them on.


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