What You Need To Know About Watering Your Lawn and Sprinklers
Summertime: hot days, humid nights, and the lowest rainfall months in the growing season. If rainfall has waned in your area, leaving lawns dry and brown, water is the solution. Easily over-looked, supplying supplemental water to dry lawns is absolutely necessary to maintain plant color and healthy growth.
To avoid dormancy, turf requires approximately 1.5 inches of water per week, every week, in lieu of rainfall. When nature fails us, it’s time to set out the sprinkler or turn on the irrigation system. When you do water the lawn, follow these tips:
Water deeply, so that the site soil is dampened to a depth of 2-3 inches. Deep watering will allow grass roots to penetrate, building a stronger root system.
Water 2-3 times per week, applying ½ inch of water per watering session.
Avoid frequent, brief watering that does not allow water to penetrate. Light, infrequent watering encourages shallow rooting, leaving the lawn more vulnerable in periods of drought stress.
Water in the early to mid-morning, before the day’s heat, increases evaporation.
If it rains, you DO NOT need to continue watering. Total water on the lawn is the important factor, not how it gets there!
If you do not have an automatic irrigation system and are in the market for a manually operated sprinkler, choose the most efficient and effective model. Below, photos show two impulse sprinklers. Most lawn professionals agree, this is the most accurate and effective type of lawn sprinkler, delivering an even application both close-up and at the perimeter of the sprinkler pattern. Many homeowners opt for what is known as an oscillating or wave-type sprinkler. While these sprinklers provide an aesthetically pleasing watering pattern and inviting play areas for kids, they do not water as evenly, leaving light and dark color variations across the lawn.
Use soaker or perforated hoses in tough to reach landscape beds. Leaving the hose in place all season makes watering an easy task.
Click here to read more interesting insights about lawn care and watering, as viewed by Southern Living magazine.
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