Hello, folks. Well, it’s official. As of Sept. 16, 2010, they’ve finally decided that we are in a drought here in the 9 county SE PA region. I don’t know who makes that official determination, but it’s been obvious to the rest of us for some time now. We will need 6 to 7 inches of rain for the drought to be declared over. At present, water conservation is voluntary, and they ask that we all try to conserve 10- 15% of our normal water consumption.

Now you may ask, “Eric, how will this affect the renovation of my lawn?” Unless they raise the warning to a drought emergency, you will still be able to water your newly seeded lawn. You DO NOT have to soak the lawn. Just make sure that the lawn receives enough water to make the ground moist, but not to the point that its running off. Moist, not wet. This will ensure germination, without wasting precious water.

Once the seeds have begun to grow, it is CRUCIAL that you continue to water. Water is KEY to the survival of your new grass plants. If you allow them to dry out, they will DIE! Period! No coming back. These are little baby grass plants, and require the same diligence of care as you might give to the family pet. Not quite the same thing, but you get my point. If you neglect the watering, the grass will not survive. Just think, how long could you survive without water?

I was at a seminar today, to get some update credits for my pesticide license, and they gave us some interesting facts regarding the severity of this past summer. For the June – July- August period, there were only 5 days below 90, and 14 above 95. Is it any wonder that our lawns are dead? And it’s not just the air temperature, it’s soil temps as well. I learned today that when the soil temperature climbs above 77 degrees, the grass ROOTS start to die. And when you lose the roots, you lose the lawn.

Too many details to bore you with, but I thought that one was key. Bottom line, we’re not out of this yet. And the worst part is, we won’t see all of the effects of this drought until sometime in 2012. That is how long it may take to see all of the really stressed trees succumb to the longer-term effects of drought stress. We will continue to see shrubs and trees fail, and I am just warning you now. Do not be surprised to see plant failure over the next 2 or even 3 years for no seemingly apparent reason.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom. but drought in this region is cyclical, and we all just need to be aware of it. Now go outside, and plant some grass seed.