Hello,

After resorting to watering deeply every other day to combat this Texas weather, I think I need to do more to hydrate the lawn! There are brown areas in some parts of the lawn; and but upon inspection, I think it's due to sun vs. disease or cinch bugs.

I read about molasses, so that's going on; I was curious about soap/shampoo. While I can use an environmentally friendly dishwashing liquid, I was wondering about the impact on the soil organisms (and its use at all). Any info would be great!

I used Mound Drench on one part of the yard for ants (orange oil, compost tea, and molasses) and that one patch of ground stayed so green! So, I look forward to seeing if molasses alone will produce the desired effect.

Thanks!

I think you're actually overwatering. Established plantings need 1" worth of water weekly. A deep watering 1-2 times per week is much more effective than a short daily watering, which will damage root systems.

Hi Sandih!

I was watering every 5-7 days, 2-3 inches, but the grass was still burning up! I have a rain gauge and I estimated how much water to apply. The yard gets a lot of sun, and there were brown patches that started to regrow green grass after I started watering more frequently, every 3 days or so. I saw a neighbor with green grass and asked how often he was watering; and he said every other day, with the temperatures being so high.

High temps do not dictate watering schedule. The original concept of watering "deeply and infrequently" came from a lawn professional in Phoenix. He would not take a new project unless the owner handed him all the keys to the automatic sprinkler box. His first adjustment was to set the frequency to 7 days.

If temp is not the only factor, what are the rest?
Soil type (clay vs sand)
Wind (dry from the mountains or moist from the coast)
Shade
Grass type
Grass mowing height
Humidity
Rainfall
Soil organic life

In addition to molasses, you can often improve your soil's ability to hold water by spraying it with shampoo. Generic baby shampoo is automatically environmentally friendly because it has none of the harsh emulsifiers and wetting agents other detergents have. The app rate is the same as for molasses - 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Apply twice about 2-3 weeks apart and that should do it. Soil should become soft when moist and hard again when dry (few days later).