All the news this week is about Hurricane Florence. At this point in WNC, they are mainly expecting high winds and some flooding. After a big rain the biggest obstacle is knowing what to do to help your lawn as it begins the process of drying. One thing that will definitely speed that process along is making sure that you’ve turned off any sprinkler or irrigation systems that you have. It is easy to forget about these systems, especially if they are automatic, but adding moisture to the ground that is already sopping wet, is not a bright idea.

As your ground begins to dry, you can add fertilizer back to the lawn to replenish any lost nutrients. Adding fertilizer will also help encourage strong root growth, which help to protect your lawn from being completely ruined in a big rain.

If trees went down in your yard, it is a good idea to remove the debris from the lawn, if you are no longer under water. Leaving this debris in place will hinder drying and you can risk bacteria or mold formation. We also suggest that, apart from removing debris, you stay off of your lawn until it’s had the chance to recover. Treading on wet grass can encourage impaction, and you’re more likely to accidentally rip up roots of your grass and plants since the ground is soggy.

In terms of mowing after a big rain, we encourage you to wait a few days. When we experience rain for days or weeks on end, it can also take weeks for the ground to completely dry out. In our case, since it was just a day of hard rain, it shouldn't take weeks, but you do have to be careful. Don’t mow for a few days to make sure that the ground is drying successfully. Mowing wet grass can cause impaction, which will damage your lawn. You also risk damaging your equipment, and if you are using a riding lawn mower it is especially dangerous in our hilly landscape to attempt to mow when your lawn is still muddy.