The development of dry patches-even small ones-on your lawn causes grass discoloration and the stunting of grass growth in adjacent sections of your lawn. In addition to diminishing the visual appeal of a lawn, dry patches can lead to permanent damage that requires the services of a trained lawn care professional. Fortunately, you do not need to possess professional lawn care skills to deal with the problem of lawn dry patches.
The Use of a Wetting Agent
Dry patches typically form during or immediately after droughts. The lack of nutrients eventually degrades the soil, which in turn becomes an inhospitable growing environment for grass. However, even if you water your lawn consistently, you can experience the problem of dry patches. Some sections of your lawn might not ever allow water to reach the depth it needs to go for replenishing grass roots. The result is a lawn surface that turns dry and crusty, which requires the application of a wetting agent.
A wetting agent reaches the areas of the soil that repel water. Think of adding water to a dried up sponge and watching the sponge come back to life. Homeowners need to apply wetting agents that reach the depth necessary to create uniform grass growth. Lawn care and home improvement shops offer wetting agents such as Surfactant that reduces the density of water to make water droplets wetter and thus, more capable of soaking dry soil. A liquid detergent also works well, as the detergent breaks down the waxy substance that sometimes coats dry soil to prevent water absorption.
How To Apply a Wetting Agent
Wetting agents also come in liquid, tablet, and granular form. Whatever type of wetting agent you decide to use, you need to follow a few tips for applying the wetting agent.
- Apply one time every evening during the first week
- Apply one time per week during each week of the rest of the month
- After one month, apply one time per month
March is the ideal month to start applying a wetting agent, as March typically is the transition from winter to spring. After you finish applying a wetting agent, closely monitor your lawn to determine if you are seeing progress. Even if you bring a dry patch back to life, you still need to pay attention to any signs that your grass is returning to its previously brown appearance.
