Watering Tips

A healthy lawn requires just about 1" of water each week during the growing season. It won't harm your lawn if it doesn't get exactly 1" every week, but extended shortages will cause your lawn to go dormant. To avoid stressing your lawn, sometimes it may be necessary to provide additional water throughout the hot summer months. Here are a few tips if you need to provide additional water for your lawn.

It is best to water the lawn until runoff just begins, and avoid watering each day. The number of times to water each week depends on how long the irrigation system can run before water just starts to puddle or run off the soil surface laterally. For example, if a grass needs 40 minutes of irrigation each week, but runoff begins after 20 minutes, then water twice a week for 20 minutes.

In cases where soil takes up water so slowly that runoff occurs before 10 minutes, water cycling is necessary. To cycle, irrigate until runoff just begins, turn the system off, and repeat the process in 30 minutes before the soil surface dries out. Several cycles per day may be necessary to apply the desired amount of water.

The best time to water is early in the morning, when evaporation rates are lowest and water pressure is at its peak. Irrigating in the afternoon is wasteful because of higher evaporation rates, and prolonged damp conditions in the evening may encourage disease development.

Irrigation requirements change from month to month and may not be needed at all if it has rained. Reset your sprinkler system to meet your lawn's changing irrigation needs.

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Watering Tips