Evergreen Lawns

One of two of the most commonly asked questions during the summer
months is, “How often do I need to water my yard.” This
is definitely an open-ended question with several factors determining
the answer. Namely, how much rain has your yard received and how
much? Localized rain should be sufficient to penetrate the soil
to a depth of 4-5 inches. Water penetration depends primarily on
your individual soil type. Grass can suffer from too much or too
little water. Here are some key factors in determining how much
water your particular lawn needs:

• Rain: Localized rain is ideally the best method
available. It’s no cost to the homeowner and requires no effort
on your part. You do need to check to insure that you have received
sufficient rain though. A simple test to see if your lawn has had
sufficient rainfall is the simple screwdriver test. Try pushing
a screwdriver into the soil. You should be able to push a screwdriver
4-5 inches into the soil with just moderate pressure. If you cannot,
then it is a probability that your lawn needs to be watered. On
average your lawn will require upwards of ½” to 1”
inch of rainfall every week in order to remain healthy and vibrant.

• Supplemental Watering: Frequency and saturation
is an important key in your lawns root development. Infrequent or
insufficient watering can cause the grasses roots to develop close
to the top of the soil and make your lawn more susceptible to weeds.
Think about it this way, if water is being applied to the top one
or two inches only, then your lawn will be more apt to grow roots
in these areas. Infrequent and penetrating water is recommended
when your lawn needs supplemental watering. By insuring that the
water is penetrating to a depth of 4-5 inches, your grasses root
system should develop deeper roots and become overall healthier.

Watering should be uniformly spread across the lawn to insure an
even saturation. Lawn sprinklers differ greatly between models,
although they each do basically the same function. It may be necessary
to experiment between several different sprinkler types until you
find one that fits your individual requirements. An easy trick to
determine your sprinklers output and distribution patter, is to
place old coffee cans in different locations throughout your lawn.
Water until you reach a 1” depth in the coffee can, and then
relocate the sprinklers to a different area of the yard. Check each
can that you have put out to make sure you are reaching all areas
of your yard.

It is best to water your lawn early morning while the morning dew
is still on the ground. This will help to slow the water loss due
to evaporation and insure better water saturation. It also prevents
the possibility of scorching the grass during the middays heat.
Watering during mid-day reduces the useable amount of water that
can reach the grass roots. And watering your lawn late evening can
cause excess moisture retention and lead to fungus buildup in the
turf. It’s also best to keep your watering to those times
of the year when temperatures are above 60º at night and above
80º during the daytime hours.

You can help to conserve the amount of watering by mowing your
grass at higher than normal heights during periods of dry weather.
This cuts down on the plants useable water storage in the grass
blades as well as keeps the grass from demanding additional water
to re-grow the grasses nutrient gathering portion of the grass blade.

If due to watering restrictions during droughts your lawn goes
dormant, allow it to stay dormant. Fluctuations between dormancy
and active growth can be worse for your lawn then the actual dormancy
itself.