Manatee County resident gives lawn care advice for people during drought

PARRISH, Fla. — Much of the Tampa Bay area is experiencing moderate drought conditions. In the Sarasota–Bradenton area, while the yearly rain total is only two inches below average, our Weather Experts say a lack of rainfall over the last three months has created these conditions.

For over 20 years, Allyn Hane has been taking care of lawns and teaching people how to maintain their yards.

He runs his own business called Yard Mastery. He sells fertilizer and other lawn products, but he’s also become a bit of a YouTube sensation. His channel, The Lawn Care Nut, has nearly 600,000 subscribers, and four of his videos have over 4 million views.

This week, Hane is demonstrating how residents can keep their lawns safe during drought conditions, like what Manatee County is currently experiencing.

“So what I’m going to do is put the tuna can out right in the (sprinkler) stream, and I’m going to measure how long it takes to get a half inch of water down,” he said.

Hane said this helps conserve water — you’ll know exactly how long to let your sprinklers run.

“By putting that tuna can out there and putting your sprinklers on, you wait until it gets a half-inch deep in that tuna can, because that’s what we consider good watering, is one-half inch every couple 2 or 3 days.” he explained.

The county says there are Phase 1 restrictions currently in place, which limit watering to once a week, but it’s possible drought conditions could worsen.

Manatee County Water Conservation Outreach Specialist Breanna Bieberich said the conditions are in Phase 1, but it is possible it could move to Phase 2.

“If we were to move to Phase 2, that would mean residents would be watering less. We would be enforcing our restrictions more heavily. Conservation officers, compliance officers would be out and about making sure that residents follow the rules,” she said.

Hane also recommends products like Moisture Max that help retain water.

“What this does is it sequesters water in the soil and helps to keep it from evaporating. So, products like this can make the watering that you’re doing go further, again, because they’re holding that water in the soil,” he said.

Hane considers himself an educator, and whether it’s rainy season or dry season, almost everyone can benefit from a little lawn care advice.

Our Weather Experts also point out that in the Sarasota–Bradenton area, 2024 was the second-wettest year on record, with more than 78 inches of rain. That means it will take more time for drought conditions to significantly impact our water reservoirs.