Hoping to keep you lawn beautiful all summer? Yeah, that’s what I was thinking before the water restrictions started last year. Having worked for a new home builder in the past, I learned a few tricks to getting the lawn to take root, keeping it relatively green and survive the hot summer without drowning the yard in water. A lot of the problems with keeping the lawn healthy are not due to lack of water like some believe. The following information is what I handed out to the new home owners before they moved into their new home. I wish I could remember exactly where the information came from so I can give credit where credit is due. Aside from the information below, Neil Sperry’s website is a fantastic place to get tips for keeping your lawn and garden green!
When to Water the Grass
Most grasses take on a dull, dark appearance, leaves begin to roll and footprints will remain visible after the lawn is walked on when the lawn needs water. The best time to water is early morning. Midday watering does not harm the lawn; however, more water is lost to evaporation. Late evening watering encourages fungus diseases!
How Much To Water
Avoid frequent, shallow watering. It encourages a shallow root system, which makes the lawn more susceptible to drought and grub damage. Apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches. One to one and a half (1-1 1/2) inches of water is usually adequate. Use a soil probe or screwdriver to determine the depth the water actually reaches. In spring and fall, water less frequently but for the same period of time.
How To Water
Use a sprinkler that emits large drops of water that remain close to the ground, not one that sprays a fine mist into the air. Determine how much water your sprinkler applies:
- Set three to five empty cans at different distances from the sprinkler with the last can near the edge of sprinkler coverage.
- Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes.
- Add the inches of water in all cans and divide the total inches by the number of cans to obtain an average.
- Multiply the average by four to determine how many inches of water are applied in one hour.
- Bermuda grass will require approximately 2 inches of water every week in the summer. Buffalo grass needs 25% less water and St. Augustine needs about 15% more.
Trees, Shrubs and Groundcover
Established plantings do well in the summer when watered once a week, especially if mulch is placed around plants. Apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches. Using low output sprinkler heads, bubblers, or drip irrigation systems help prevent runoff and are efficient ways to apply water. New plantings require more frequent watering the first two years. Once a month soak the soil very deep to encourage tree and shrub root development below the turf root zone. Leave the sprinklers on three times the normal time or use a soaker hose under the entire tree canopy.
Soil Type
Lawns on sandy soil require more frequent watering than lawns or loam or clay soils. Water can be applied less often to clay and loam soils, but it should be applied more slowly to prevent runoff.
Slope
To avoid runoff on sloping areas, place sprinklers near the top of the slope. Apply water slowly for 5-15 minutes, turn off for 15 minutes, on 5-15 minutes, etc. until the correct amount of water has been applied.
Fertilizer
A slow release nitrogen fertilizer helps plants use less water, and a lawn fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio of nitrogen (N) – phosphorus (P) – potassium (K), such as 15-5-10, is recommended to help grass withstand stress. Remember, each 100 pounds of 15-5-10 fertilizer contains 15 pounds of N, 5 pounds of P and 10 pounds of K. Fertilize lightly in the spring and again in early fall. Bermuda grass requires 2-5 pounds of Nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. per year.
This entry was posted on Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 6:14 am and is filed under Dallas Fort Worth, Green Conservation, Tips for Buyers, Tips for Sellers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.