How to Protect Your Lawn From Heat-Related Brown Spots

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From St. Augustine and fescue to buffalo and bermuda, it’s not uncommon for lawn grasses to develop brown spots during the summer.

As the temperature rises, lawns become stressed and, therefore, often die in certain areas. Granted, heat-stressed lawns may return to their normal, healthy state after the summer has ended.

Until this happens, though, they’ll feature characteristic brown patches. As a homeowner, you can protect your lawn from heat-related brown spots by following a few simple steps.

Water Regularly

Not surprisingly, one of the most effective ways to protect your lawn from heat-related brown spots is to water it regularly.

Without water, the hot summer weather will dry out your lawn. As your lawn becomes dehydrated, it will become brown and thin.

By watering your lawn regularly – about 20 to 30 minutes a day for most grass varieties – you can protect it from brown spots.

Just remember to check with your local city or county beforehand to ensure outdoor water use is allowed.

Limit Foot Traffic

If you have a sidewalk running through your lawn, use it rather than stepping directly on your lawn.

You won’t always be able to avoid walking on your lawn. Maybe you’re picking up fallen limbs after a storm, or perhaps you’re pulling weeds. Regardless, it’s okay to walk on your lawn, but you should try to limit the amount of food traffic to which your lawn is exposed.

Walking on an already heat-stressed lawn will only cause further stress, which may lead to the development of new brown spots or expansion of existing brown spots.

Mow Regularly… But Not Too Frequently

When summer rolls around, some homeowners assume they can stop mowing their lawn. After all, lawns typically grow the fastest during spring.

But failure to mow your lawn during the summer can result in weeds taking over your landscape.

As the weeds thrive, they’ll consume moisture and nutrients, restricting your lawn’s ability to grow.

So, how often should you mow your lawn during the summer?

It depends on the type of grass you have, but a good rule of thumb is to maintain cool season lawns at a height of 3 to 5 inches and warm season lawns at a height of two to three inches.

Use an Anti-Fungal Product

Brown spots that appear during summer are usually the result of heat-related stress. However, they can also be a sign of a fungal disease.

Specifically, brown patch disease, also known as Rhizoctonia, can cause brown spots to appear on otherwise healthy lawns.

Just a single application of an anti-fungal product, however, can protect your lawn from diseases such as this.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

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Will Fertilizing a Tree Help It Grow?

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Trees are an important element of an attractive landscape. They introduce a new color to enhance your home’s curb appeal while also creating shade and, therefore, lowering your home’s cooling costs during the summer.

But just because you plant a new tree, there’s no guarantee that it will grow and reach maturity.

When a sapling fails to grow, however, you should consider fertilizing it.

Yes, You Fertilizing Can Help a Tree Grow

Some people assume that fertilizer is intended strictly for use in flowerbeds, but this isn’t necessarily true. You can also use fertilizer around trees to encourage faster, healthier development.

From softwoods like pine and cedar to hardwoods like oak and hickory, all trees can benefit from nutrient-rich fertilizer.

If a tree in your landscape is struggling to grow, just one or two applications of fertilizer may be enough to stimulate its growth and promote maturity.

How Fertilizing Helps Trees Grow

Fertilizing helps trees grow by providing them with essential nutrients.

As with plants, flowers and shrubs, all trees need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to grow. Known as macronutrients, they are the primary ingredients used in fertilizer.

By applying fertilizer around the base of a tree, it will absorb these nutrients, thereby improving its health and encouraging faster growth.

In addition to the three aforementioned macronutrients, fertilizer may also contain various levels of iron, manganese and magnesium. Known as micronutrients, these nutrients aren’t as critical to a tree’s growth as macronutrients.

Nonetheless, they can still encourage an otherwise stressed young tree to grow faster.

When to Fertilize Trees

Try to wait until the mid- to late spring or fall to fertilize your trees.

During summer and winter, trees enter somewhat of a dormant state in which it absorbs only a small amount of nutrients from the soil. During mid- to late spring and fall, the complex root system of trees absorbs a greater amount of nutrients from the soil.

By waiting until this time of year to fertilize your trees, you’ll get greater value from your fertilizing efforts.

Choosing the Right Fertilizer for a Tree

Of course, you should choose the right type of fertilizer when using it to stimulate the growth of a tree.

Different trees require different ratios of nutrients. Therefore, you should choose a variety of fertilizer with an appropriate ratio of macronutrients and micronutrients for your respective tree species.

If you need help choosing a fertilize formula, visit a local tree nursery or gardening center and ask an employee for assistance.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

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Should I Prune Dead Tree Branches?

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It’s not uncommon for tree branches to decay and die. Even if the trunk and the rest of the canopy is healthy, one or more branches may already be dead.

As a result, you might be wondering whether you should prune dead tree branches or simply leave them in place.

While tree branches can die for a variety of reasons, pruning them is almost always beneficial.

By removing dead tree branches, the tree will regrow new branches in their place. More specifically, though, pruning dead tree branches offers the following benefits when done correctly.

Pruning Reduces the Risk of Infection

Dead tree branches can often lead to infection.

Once a branch dies and begins to rot, the bark covering the branch will fall off. Aside from being an eyesore, barkless branches allow fungi and bacteria to enter the tree with greater ease.

As the infection-causing microbe begins to reproduce, it can spread to other parts of the tree, potentially killing it.

To protect trees from infection, you should prune dead or otherwise unhealthy tree branches, especially those with little or no protective bark.

Pruning Can Treat Existing Infections

Pruning dead tree branches can also treat existing infections.

If a branch is obviously dead – to the point where it’s decaying and crumbling – the tree may already be suffering from a bacterial or fungal infection. There are literally hundreds of bacterial and fungal infections to which trees are susceptible.

But depending on the particular type of infection, it may be localized, meaning pruning the affected branch or branches will help control it.

Pruning Removes Unstable Tree Branches That May Fall

Another reason to prune dead tree branches is to reduce the risk of bodily injury and property injury.

Dead tree branches generally won’t fall on their own – not without a little help from Mother Nature, at least. When a severe storm rolls in, the wind and rain can snap dead tree branches. And if the branch overhangs your property, it could cause damage or bodily injury.

To prevent this from happening, you should prune all dead tree branches.

Pruning Discourages Pests

Dead tree branches are a source of food for many pests, including the all-too-destructive termites.

If a branch dies and you don’t prune it, termites or other pests may feast on it. You can keep pests at bay, however, by pruning dead branches.

As soon as you spot a dead branch, prune it to discourage pests.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

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5 Innovative Uses for Pine Straw

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Is your landscape covered in pine straw? Also known as pine needles, pine straw is essentially the adult leaves of a pine tree. They grow together in bundles called fascicles, with a typical fascicle containing about two to six individual needles.

While you can always rake and dispose of fallen pine straw, there are other ways to reuse or recycle them.

#1) Erosion Prevention

Sprinkling a light layer of pine straw over flooded sections of your landscape can protect the soil from erosion.

Normally, grass, trees and other plant life serve as a barrier against erosion. If there’s little or no foliage growing in one or more areas of your landscape, though, the soil may wash away during heavy rainfall.

Using just a small amount of pine straw, you can keep the soil intact while minimizing erosion caused during bad weather and severe storms.

#2) Protect Trees From Pests

You can also use pine straw to protect trees from pests.

Trees, especially young saplings, are highly susceptible to pest damage. If a rodent or vole begins chewing at the base of a young tree, it could induce enough stress to kill the tree.

To protect your trees from pests such as these, create a layer of pine straw around the trunk.

#3) Mulch Around Mailbox

It’s frustrating when weeds continue to emerge around your mailbox. Depending on the placement of your mailbox, it may not be accessible with a lawnmower.

Of course, you can always use a weed eater to eliminate weeds around your mailbox, but an easier solution is to mulch the area with pine straw. Just cover the exposed soil or grass with pine straw, at which point weeds won’t be able to grow here.

#4) Mulch in Flowerbeds

In addition to using it around your mailbox, you can also use pine straw as mulch in your flowerbeds.

Like when used around a mailbox, pine straw discourages weed growth when used in a flowerbed. It prevents the soil from receiving sunlight, and without sunlight, weeds won’t be able to grow.

#5) Chicken Feed

If you raise chickens, you can use pine straw as chicken feed.

Many people are surprised to learn that pine straw is just as nutritious as many other, higher-priced varieties of hay and straw sold by tack shops.

Just rake a few piles of pine straw and place it inside your chicken coop. It’s a cheap and easy way to source nutritious food for your chickens.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

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