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A healthy lawn makes a very good filter for
absorbing many things that can be washed into our streams. The ideal
lawn is one that will grow best in your environment without lots of
supplemental watering. We have all probably read about people living in
desert areas in the country trying to grow lawns that require almost
daily watering just to survive the summer heat. This is extremely
foolish and short-sighted. Turf grasses were never intended to be grown
everywhere.
That being said, there are parts of the
country where various turf grasses are well suited without the need for
daily watering. In many places, grass can be grown without any
supplemental watering, or only very minor supplemental watering. The
following information is specifically intended for those areas.
How much water does a lawn need?
In general,
turf grasses need about 2.00cm - 2.50cm of water per week to
maintain green color and active growth. However, during certain times
during the summer when high temperatures are the norm, you should allow
lawns to naturally slow down in growth during those extreme conditions.
You may let the lawn go almost completely dormant in hot weather. Many
factors such as the soil and weather all have a role in the lawn's water
needs. Here are a few guidelines to follow:
Decide before
hand.
Decide before summer heat and
drought conditions arrive, to
either water lawns consistently as needed throughout the season, or let
lawns go dormant as conditions turn hot and dry. Do not rotate back and
forth. In other words, don't let the grass turn totally brown, then
apply enough water to green it up, then let the grass go dormant again.
Breaking the lawns
When
is it time to water?
The first few warm days of summer does not automatically mean to water
lawns. In fact, allowing lawns to start to go under mild drought stress
actually increases rooting.
Watch for foot printing, or footprints remaining on the lawn after
walking across it (instead of leaf blades bouncing back up). Grasses
also tend to turn darker in color as they go under drought stress.
Sampling the root zone soil could be another option.
Water
as infrequently as possible.
Thoroughly water when you do water so moisture soaks down to the roots.
Exceptions to this general rule would be for newly seeded lawns where
the surface needs to stay moist, newly sodded lawns that have not yet
rooted into the soil, or when summer patch disease is a problem.
Otherwise, avoid frequent watering that promote
shallower root systems and weeds.
Water
early in the day if possible.
Given a choice, water early in the day when lawns are normally wet from
dew. Avoid midday watering due to excessive evaporation, and at night
due to potential increased chances of some diseases gaining a foothold.
The exception to this guide is when you are in extremely hot weather and
nighttime temperatures don't go below 20.C degrees. Then it is better to
water in the late afternoon or early evening, providing you don't have
watering-time restrictions. Early or late in the day reduces the amount
of evaporation that takes place during the very hot day, allowing more
water to reach the root zone.
Spread the water
uniformly across the lawn.
Sprinklers vary in distribution patterns, and require spray overlap for
uniform coverage. Placing coffee cans or similar straight-sided
containers on the lawn can help measure water application rates. Avoid
flooding areas, or missing other spots. On heavy clay soils and slopes,
watch for excessive runoff; it may be necessary to apply the water in
several applications to allow for adequate penetration.
Water
conservation.
To help conserve water, mow your lawn at a higher than normal height,
avoid applying an excess of nitrogen as warm weather approaches, limit
traffic over the lawn, improve turf rooting, control thatch and soil
compaction, and avoid pesticide use on drought stressed lawns. Don't
allow water to hit the driveway or into the street. This is just
wasteful.
Avoid
overwatering
Use a rain gauge to measure how much water you're applying. Overwatering
does more than deplete the water supply, it also makes plants prone to
pests and adds to storm water runoff, which pollutes our water systems.
By choosing and operating a watering system correctly, you can reduce
water bills, insect and disease problems, and maintenance requirements.
For example, the more you water your lawn, the faster it grows and the
more it needs to be mowed.
Hold off
watering after fertilization and hold off fertilizing if heavy rains are
expected.
To reduce the possibility of having fertilizer
wash into our water system, don't water heavily soon after fertilizing.
Use light waterings to give the fertilizer the opportunity to be
absorbed by the soil. Also, if heavy rains are in the forecast, hold off
fertilizing until the heavy rains have passed.
Monitor
rainfall
Don't water the lawn if rains are expected soon. Keep track of rainfall
for the week. Don't apply more water to the lawn than what is absolutely
necessary. The guide of about 2.5cm of water per week is only a guide.
If your lawn doesn't get that 2.5cm of water, it's not going to die.
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