Knowledgebase
Dog Tuff grass browning #880291
Asked August 05, 2024, 3:24 PM EDT
We are located outside Durango at 8500 feet elevation. We planted nearly 4000 plugs of Dog Tuff grass in summer 2022. Many died over the winter for various reasons not related to cold - dug up by ground squirrels, etc. We replaced about 1200 last summer (2023). Our survival was much better and this summer we only had to replace about 200 plugs.
In some areas the grass has done very well and is spreading nicely. In others it struggles. At the moment we are concerned that some of the "good" areas are showing browning and yellowing of the grass. We water about every 3rd day depending on rain. We fertilized with MiracleGro Lawn on July 10 and July 25 based on recommendations from the company that supplied the plugs.
Is it normal for the grass to turn brown during hot weather? We thought that as a warm season grass it would not have this issue.
Pictures attached.
La Plata County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello Ann,
You are absolutely correct that even a warm season grass can struggle during a hot summer. The added stress of trying to grow at 8500' might reduce the heat a little bit, but the increased elevation adds intense solar exposure.
You mention watering every 3 days (except when it rains), but I am curious how long each watering cycle lasts. It is possible that just the surface soil/root zone are getting wet but to help encourage deeper root growth, watering a little longer might help. I would encourage you to poke something into the soil like a trowel, to see how deeply the water is infiltrating the ground.
You might consider adding a light layer of straw to shade and hold moisture longer in those brown patches, try overseeding or add some straw after you put in more plugs.
