Water and Your Lawn
Each of us may wonder from time to time about how much water we could and should get on our lawns.
If you are in an area with drought restrictions, well, you can only do what is allowed, but you can do it in a smarter way than tradition dictates. Also, there are new products you could apply that will help water retention such as the Scotts Water Smart line.
If you use an irrigation system, be sure to have drip lines for your garden areas. This applies water directly to the base of the plant, where it is needed and also keeps the blooms from being weighed down from sprayed water. But, that's another article.
On your lawn areas, your irrigation system will have spray heads. The system is then divided into zones, according to the micro-environment of each area and your water pressure. If you have an area that is shady and one that is sunny, they should be separate zones.
No matter what the zone is, the setting should allow one half inch saturation for each area, usually this would be no less than 15 minutes for each. You can water a shady area less frequently than a sunny area, but setting it for any less time will only promote weed growth.
Check how deep the water is going. Try sticking a stake or even a screw driver into the ground to see how deep the water is going. It should be at least six inches of dampness to be doing a good job.
Be sure you have a rain sensor. Particularly in the rainy seasons, you may be getting too much water on your lawn or in your garden if you don't have this installed. A small expense considering how much it will save on water and electricity expenses and lawn repair for too much water.
Too much water can do just as much damage as too little, maybe more. It can cause weeds to take over and fungus to develop. It causes compaction of the soil, more so if there is traffic on it. Therefore, the roots of the lawn will be impacted and development stunted.
If you've had many days of rain, check to be sure the soil has good drainage. Aerate the lawn to help dry out the roots and help them get reestablished by getting nutrients to then.
It may not be a fine line when it comes to the amount of water you need, but too much or too little can really cause damage. A watering system may be within our control, but nature is not. If there is too much or too little rain, just be prepared for when the situation gets back to normal and rake action. The sooner you do, the better the chance to minimize damage.
Barbara Frerichs
© 2009
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