No mosquitoes, lots of sun, blue skies ... There’s a lot to be thankful for during this mild and sunny summer of 2007.

But if you’ve driven around town at all this past week, you’ve no doubt noticed the brown reminders of what’s not going so well.

While it’s far too early to proclaim a “drought,” lawns don’t turn brown for no reason. We haven’t had a good downpour in a while, and that has transformed what had been a pretty good rain season into a lousy one, and now instead of soft, lush grass, many lawns feel like straw and look worse.

Ryan and Cindy Baasen, who live on Nicollet Avenue in North Mankato, are suffering the same front lawn fate as many others. So they dragged the hose out Sunday afternoon to give that lawn a drink.

“When we were out for a walk,” Cindy said, “I felt like we were in Arizona.”

Giving that thirsty lawn a mere sip of water, however, may not be the best way to take care of your lawn.

Jesse Miller, greenhouse manager at Drummer’s Garden Center, said short, frequent lawn waterings can actually do more harm than good.

Short waterings encourage a shallow root system. A good, long soaking of at least an inch of water, lets the grass roots develop stronger and deeper.

A brown lawn, by the way, isn’t necessarily anything to be overly concerned with. Miller says that what’s happening is that the grass is going dormant, and that when water returns, so will the green. An extended drought could kill the grass, but grass can withstand up to two months of dormancy, Miller said.

When watering, a good way to make sure the grass is getting enough water is to place a bucket or can in the area being watered. When there’s an inch of water in the bucket, go ahead and move the sprinkler or shut the water off.

Water in the early morning hours, if possible. Watering at high noon will result in some of the water evaporating. And watering at night leaves the grass wet all night, which runs the risk of allowing deadly fungus to grow.

So, basically, it’s a quantity issue when it comes to water. Use lots of it, or resign yourself to having a brown lawn when the rains won’t come.

Keep your lawn mower on its highest setting, Miller says. Tall grass produces its own shade, reducing the impact of those hot summer scorchers.

And stay away from fertilizer for another month or two. Fertilizer and 90-degree days do not mix.

Weeds, on the other hand, seem to thrive in this hot weather. At the Baasen yard, the grass was brown, but the weeds were doing just fine. Why? Because weeds have long tap roots that dive much further into the ground than the fiberous roots of grass.