Short Answer: When a Tulsa heat wave hits (multiple consecutive days of 95-plus degrees), your lawn needs specific adjustments to stay green. The essentials are: increase total weekly water to 1.5 to 2 inches delivered in 2 to 3 deep watering events, water in the very early morning before sunrise, raise your mowing height by one notch, skip fertilization during the heat wave (it can burn stressed grass), leave grass clippings on the lawn to retain moisture, avoid heavy foot traffic on stressed turf, and watch closely for signs of drought stress or insect activity. Lawns that are healthy going into a heat wave handle it much better than lawns that were already struggling. Here is the complete guide.
Anyone who has lived through a Tulsa summer knows the pattern. A week or two of normal warm weather, and then a heat wave rolls in. Seven, eight, ten days of 95-plus temperatures with little to no rain. Lawns all over the metro start showing stress, and panicked homeowners start asking what to do.
Here is how we manage lawns through heat waves, and what you can do to protect yours.
Increase Water the Right Way
Your lawn’s water needs go up significantly during a heat wave. Total weekly water should increase from the normal 1 to 1.5 inches to 1.5 to 2 inches during extended heat. But how you deliver that water matters as much as the amount.
Stick with deep, infrequent watering. Two to three watering events per week, each delivering about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch of water, is better than daily short cycles. Deep watering encourages deep roots, which are the key to heat