When the weather is hot and dry, lawns start to get pretty crispy, pretty early

FARGO — Maintaining a lawn is important because it’s fun to be on, looks nice, and reduces weeds that can be health risks for some people.

North Dakota doesn’t usually reach temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees in May, so the grass is not used to this kind of heat at this time of the season. Lawns are responding pretty dramatically and drying out fast.

Getting the right amount of water is crucial. Soaking lawns infrequently instead of having small watering frequently.

Spraying is what many people do, but Matt Langemo, owner of All Terrain Lawn Care Professionals said to not rely too much on it, because this chemical treatment cannot fix all lawn problems. Correct spraying is only one part of maintaining a healthy lawn.

If a lawn is not taken care of, it can lead to fungal diseases and lots of time and money needed to reseed a new lawn.

Lawns that are damaged are usually brown with circular patterns.

At around 20 weeks, growing season is not long in North Dakota compared to other seasons, with the growing season starting from the beginning of May to the middle of October.

To maintain a healthy lawn, Langemo said it should be watered two to three times a week and dried out for a day.

Lawns should also be kept at 3 inches in height.

“If your lawn gets really tall and out of control, where the city is coming and you’re violating the ordinance, you may need to double cut it. So cut it once at a high level and then cut a second time at a lower level,” Langemo said.

Langemo said a healthy lawn should be thick, comfortable to walk on with bare feet, and show no signs of weeds.

“A thick, robust root system is much more disease resistance and drought resistance and heat resistance than a very shallow root system,” Langemo said.

Langemo said to avoid root system issues, homeowners should not cut off more than a third of the blade of grass at any single mowing.

It is a busy time of year for lawn care professionals, so if someone has a concern, he recommends contacting someone quickly.

“Don’t let it get to that point. Call a professional, get an assessment,” Langemo said.

My name is Anne Sara, better known as Sara.
I was born an only child in Port-au-prince, Haiti and moved to the U.S at the age of 2.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is where I was raised.
After graduating with my bachelor degree at Albright College, I moved to Florida to continue my studies.
WDAY is the reason why I moved to North Dakota.