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Because of the drought this year, armadillos, possums, and other animals have come out of the green belts and creeks looking for food. They are rummaging through our flowerbeds and destroying the lawn. What can you do? Frequently we receive calls for treating lawns for grub worms, fleas, fire ants, and other soil boring pests. Again, we are asked, “What can you do?”

We are in the midst of an historic drought in Texas. The ferocious Texas drought and last summer’s heat has devastated crops, thinned out cattle herds, decimated wildlife, dried up streams, reservoirs, and aquifers and damaged trees in our state forests.

During the spring months I spend a lot of time consulting homeowners about why their grass is not healthy and growing. Our company does a lot of lawn renovation work and I am often asked the question, “What is the best grass for my lawn?” or “Why do I have weeds growing here and not grass?” The answers to those 2 questions are not easily resolved without looking at your lawn and knowing a little bit about the history of the feeding and care provided for your lawn.

The last two years have been tough on our lawns and landscape in North Texas. Even though we had a surplus of rain this past spring, from May through September we had moderate to severe drought conditions during the summer. Add to the fact that it was reported that the past two summers rank as the hottest North Texas summer temperatures that we have had in over a decade, and you can understand why it is so important to give your lawn, landscape and trees the continual care that they require.

The last two summers have played havoc on our lawns. We have experienced moderate to severe drought conditions and our lawns have had to compete for adequate moisture. Add to the fact that the last two summers rank as the hottest North Texas temperatures in over a decade, and you can understand why it is so important to give your lawn added attention and nutrients this spring as we approach another “drought like” season.

I grew up repeating the rhyme “April showers bring May flowers.” I’m not so sure the rain brought flowers in April and May with the unseasonably cool weather we had in March, April and early May. Believe me, I’m not asking for triple digit heat and I am enjoying the cool to mild temperatures we have had this spring. It’s kept the electric bill low and we have avoided those usual spring thunderstorms, hail, and tornado damage.

We have been in drought conditions for the past three years. Our lakes are continually below normal levels and many of us are on stage 2 or stage 3 watering restrictions. As I have analyzed several lawns throughout the metroplex this summer and fall, I have seen several trends emerging as they relate to the health and vitality of our trees, lawns and landscaping.

The local weather headlines are either are about “Drought and Record Heat Waves” or “Record Freezes, Ice and Snowfall.” North Texas weather seems to go from one extreme to another. For instance, this week it was in the 70 degree range on Tuesday, but two days later, Thursday, it was barely 30 degrees!

We are now in our third year of critical drought conditions in North Texas. As far as I know, every municipality in the DFW Metroplex is under water restrictions for outdoor use on lawns, trees and landscapes. Most of us have been under watering restrictions for the past couple of years, but now even the Dallas County cities are restricting their outdoor watering use. Some of us can water our lawns twice a week, others, once a week, and for those of us in the North Texas Water District, we can only water once every two weeks.

This summer we have become keenly aware of the need to add minerals and trace nutrients on both ends of the thermometer, and the desire to push our trees and plants to be “green”, “blooming”, or “fruitful” during this period has caused us to use and deplete the minerals and nutrients in the best of organically supplemented soils. We have seen several signs of depleted soils over the last few years.