Dry, Hot Conditions Require Special Lawn Care

Even though we received some rain over the weekend, most lawns in the area still look brown and burned. Eugene Matzat from the La Porte County Extension Office explained a few tips for watering lawns and gardens in this weather.

“For watering lawns and gardens, basically the guideline would be to water in the morning so that the air temperature and wind has a chance to dry off the surface. This prevents any potential for any fungal diseases to infest your lawn,” said Matzat.

Matzat said it has been quite an unusual spring, and summer doesn’t arrive yet for a couple of days.

Warm Spring Beneficial For Wheat Crop

Eugene Matzat of the La Porte Extension Office has been talking about the condition of the crops in our area this week. Matzat explained the warm spring put the wheat crop ahead of schedule.

“Because of the warm temperatures that we had in March, as well as the general earliness of the spring, this year has been well ahead of normal,” he said.

The wheat harvest is already into the harvest stage in southern Indiana.

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Crops Not Taking Kindly To Unpredictable, Dry Weather

The topsy-turvy weather pattern that occurred early this spring saw many farmers planting earlier than usual. Now, the hot temperatures with little moisture is taking a toll on the young corn crop. La Porte County Agricultural and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Purdue University Eugene Matzat explained that the corn crop isn’t doing the greatest.

“Obviously the corn crop needs a drink of water. It’s showing some signs of stress. Corn that is relatively tall is probably about hip high, and it’s showing signs of moisture stress. I saw some corn late last week that was curling up trying to conserve moisture,” said Matzat.

Unfortunately, there’s no relief in sight as Matzat also noted that no rain is forecast for the immediate future.

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