Eliminating Unattractive Hot Spots in Your Lawn

Ever notice an area of your lawn that for unknown reasons exhibits drought stress; i.e., the leaf blades start to curl and look dry, while all around that area the grass looks healthy, lush, and normal?  Landscape professionals refer to these areas as “hot spots” or “localized dry spots.” These areas can be frustrating to a homeowner who has taken steps to make sure they have an irrigation system that covers the entire lawn. In the hot afternoon sun, patches of their lawn look as if it were not getting watered at all.  Hot spots are often caused by irregular soil composition and are one of the reasons it is recommended you test and amend your soil before putting down any new sod. Sandier soils and lawns with steep slopes are also more susceptible to have areas with hot spots.

Another cause for hot spots is the damage caused by insects or disease. Areas of your lawn that are still recovering from the injury caused by disease or insects are the first to succumb to drought stress. This is similar to how a person who is exhausted or overly stressed is more likely to succumb to a virus than a person who is more healthy.

Preventative Steps

The best way to prevent hot spots is to ensure you have a consistent soil profile, rich in loamy, organic material. Second, do not overwater, which can lead to fungus, but do make sure that your lawn is getting the water it needs. Next, be proactive in the use of systemic fungicides and broad-spectrum insecticides. we have listed a few recommended products below. Lastly, make sure your lawn is receiving an appropriate, year-round nutritional program that fortifies it to deal with environmental stresses. The Complete Program 9 Bottle Annual Fertilizer Subscription provides such nutrition. You can also check out a full list of our products here.

Curative Steps

One way to combat hot spots in your lawn is to top dress these spots with a compost-type material. The organic material in compost allows the grass to retain water more efficiently.  Using low-quality topsoil is not recommended for top dressing because with such topsoil, you may also bring weed seeds into the yard. Another great option is to provide fortified nutrients to the hot spots to help these areas deal with the drought stress. Lawnifi® Recover such a product. Recover is used in a fertilization program throughout the summer months or can be spot-applied to damaged or stressed areas of your lawn. Lawnifi Recover contains a balanced NPK mixture, carbon, iron, manganese and sulfur, and features Catalyst Technology^TM that maximizes plant uptake and nutrient availability. In short, it helps stressed grass “recover.”

Using these simple techniques, you can quickly and efficiently address the hot spots in your yard. For more information related to this topic, be sure to check out How to Help Your Lawn Beat the Summer Heat.