What Happens to Your Grass During a Drought?

As the soil begins to dry out, the lawn will show a lack of available moisture by wilted leaf blades. This condition is evidenced by a lengthwise folding or rolling of the blades, caused by a loss of water pressure within the plant. Wilting is best seen on the older leaves of the grass plant because the youngest leaf is not fully expanded and will appear as if it is wilted. If your lawn can’t get enough water it will first go into a dormant stage, often marked by a bluish color. If the drought continues until the soil water is fully used, death will result for most cool-season grasses. Bermudas and other warm-season grasses will probably recover, however, the lawn’s quality will not.