Mid-summer is the time when homeowners begin panicking if their lawn is not looking up to par. The emphasis is usually on green, full and pest/weed-free lawns.
Many lawn problems are simply symptoms of poor soil or growing conditions, or just poor lawn care practices over the years. It is amazing how often people with less-than-perfect lawns think that it must need more water. The emphasis should be on learning what a healthy lawn is, and what you can do to make or keep your lawn healthy.
A healthy lawn growing in organic soil will result in rich color, and it will crowd out many weeds and will be highly resistant to disease, drought and insects.
Water becomes more precious with each passing year. As a gardener or homeowner, it is imperative to know as much as possible about using water wisely and doing what you can to improve your lawns, plants and soils so as to obtain the best possible water management.
Choosing the best grass for your climate, giving it the best care to promote healthy and deep root systems, and improving the soil so it holds water better are all going to influence your water needs. To learn about grass types contact your local extension office. For help with establishing healthy root and soil systems contact The Happy Gardener.
According to an article in last years’ USA Today, entitled “A Drought for the Ages”, one third of the country is experiencing drought, and in some areas this has been going on for almost a decade. David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich, states that “we use up to 7 billion gallons of water a day on landscape irrigation, a third of all residential water usage.”
Following is some useful information to consider when planning your mid-summer lawn watering schedule:
• The Need for Water: Grass plants have to take in most of their basic nutrients dissolved in water and through their roots. Without enough water in the soil, a lawn can’t get to the nutrients it needs for food production, growth, defense and reproduction. In this situation, the grass can shut down, dry out on top and go dormant. The grass will come back to life when there is sufficient soil moisture. It is actually better for grass health to let it go completely dormant than to keep it just barely green and growing with light watering.
Keep in mind that water is not just to keep your lawn green – water is also needed when you want to keep the soil improvement processes going. If you are working on improving your soil with organic soil conditioners and/or compost, you want to keep the soil somewhat moist. When soil dries out, earthworms disappear and microbial activity and thatch decomposition ceases. It doesn’t begin again until there is sufficient moisture in the ground.
• Don’t Water Too Early In the Spring: There is no point in watering the lawn before the grass actually needs it, and there is some benefit to delaying watering. You want to get the roots of the grass to dig deeper for water as the soil dries out. If the soil is constantly saturated with water, the roots won’t have the incentive to grow deep. If you want to know how dry the soil is, dig into it with a spade to see for yourself.
Begin watering your lawn when soil has dried out well into the root zone. A good indicator of the appropriate time is when you can see footprints in the lawn after you’ve walked over it.
• The Best Time to Water: Watering in the morning, before the heat sets in is the best possible time to irrigate a lawn. The next best time is late afternoon/early evening when the sun’s rays are less intense. Night time watering is generally frowned upon due to higher disease potential. The reason for not watering in the heat of mid day is simply that you are going to waste some water due to evaporation.
• How Much Water? Homeowners are always asking “How long should I water?” and “How many inches should I water?” Turf pros generally agree that the amount of water a lawn requires whether through rain or through your sprinkler is ¾ – 1 inch per week. This amount is for lawns that are actively growing and not dormant or in a slow growth stage.
David Bach gives a good tip to see how much rain is falling each week. Simply place a cat-food size can outside. If rain fills it to the brim each week, you don’t need to water at all.
Now that you have a clear idea of what your lawn needs to establish a healthy and deep root system, you will be better able to plan your water-wise, green lawn. Please let us know if you have any questions and if there is anything we can do to help you and garden.
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