It’s pretty easy to grasp the fact that your lawn has a difficult time withstanding high traffic. At the same time, it’s also reasonable that one of the reasons you maintain a lawn in the first place is so that you and your friends and family can have a good time outside on the grass. One of the main challenges facing any lawn care owner is striking a happy medium between enjoying their lawn while managing not to harm the grass through high traffic. Different grass varieties are able to withstand high traffic better than others, so it is absolutely essential that you have a keen sense of how much your lawn can handle and what constitutes high traffic for your lawn.
Summer Gatherings Can Wreak Havoc on Your Lawn
What are the dangers of high traffic on your lawn?
There are many consequences of high traffic for your grass. Simply put, grass is not made to withstand the constant pounding. Every time you have a social gathering on your grass, your lawn takes a pretty substantial beating in the process. High traffic invariably damages the leaf tissue on each blade of grass, compromising its ability to photosynthesize and nourish itself. It also takes a toll on the soil, condensing it and causing damage to the roots of the grass. This also makes it very difficult for the grass to receive the water and nutrients that are necessary to survive.
Which grass varieties can best withstand high traffic?
When considering which type of grass to plant for your lawn, it is necessary to consider how much traffic you generally deal with. As a rule of thumb, it is generally the case that warm-weather grasses are better suited to withstand lots of people. This means that Bermuda, rye, and St. Augustine grasses are all more effective at handling high traffic. Meanwhile, cold-weather grasses, such as bathiagrass and centipedegrass, are less wear-resistant. Whichever grass type you select, just be mindful that there is genetic variability, so do not be entirely surprised if your grass does not perform as you would expect.
Tips for protecting your lawn from high traffic
To protect your lawn, be sure to fertilize but make sure not to overdo it. Overfertilizing will make the grass too wet and not durable enough. Similarly, you don’t want to irrigate too often, as this hinders root growth. When you know that you will have a gathering with high traffic, be sure to water the lawn and aerate the soil.
High traffic is a common problem as we move into the summer months. Before your Memorial Day cookout, be sure to use some of the tips offered in this article so that your lawn doesn’t suffer the ill effects of high traffic.
