Call it gold, blonde or brown, it’s the color of healthy grass in August, and we’re thankful for it — it saves water!
Grass goes blonde in Texas in the second half of July, and this year is no exception. Despite rain and green grass in the first half of summer, it only takes about two weeks of proper summer scorch for turf grass to start changing from green to gold.
Brown grass is no reason to panic — it’s the norm in San Antonio this time of year. All that green grass we were furiously mowing earlier this year has survived six years of drought.
Grass is smart enough to go dormant during the dry season and start growing in earnest again when cooler shorter days arrive in autumn (by end of September the sun will be setting an hour earlier than it does today).
All of San Antonio’s approved warm-season turf grasses (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, buffalo grass and various Texas natives and native mixes) can pull off the feat of summer dormancy every year. Watering deeply once a week is all you need to do to keep grass roots healthy until then.
The best way to save water? Leave your irrigation off and water manually once a week, as needed, on your watering day from June to September. And as grass growth slows down in August, there’s another benefit: You may be able to skip a mowing or two. (Remember to raise your mower blades to the maximum in August to avoid scalping your turf.)
In the meantime, keep calm and irrigate once a week as per Stage 3 watering rules.
And if you don’t like the look of brown grass in summer, consider increasing the size of your landscape beds. Our WaterSaver Landscape Coupon can help you convert your lawn to drought-tough landscaping with shrubs, trees and perennials that remain green — even in August!
