Water is a precious commodity today as climate change has increased the likelihood of droughts in areas of the country once immune to such occurrences.
As the summer months quickly approach, here are a few things to remember as you calculate the necessary watering schedule for your lawn.
For starters, it’s always important to consult your local municipality around mid to late spring regarding any water regulations. This information is invaluable as the growing season begins, providing you with information on current water levels and predictions for the remainder of the season.
This action also allows you to make sure you’re legally following your municipal guidelines for watering and enables you to be better prepared based on those conditions.
Proper watering is critical for keeping your lawn green and healthy during the summer heat. Therefore, it’s essential to know when you should water as different times of the day will yield different results.
The best time to water is between 6:00 – 10:00 AM when the evaporation is low, and winds are at a minimum. Never water during the middle of the day when the sun is strongest as water will have little time to penetrate to the roots before being completely evaporated.
Most lawns need ¾ to 1 inch of water three to four days per week (or 15 – 30 minutes) depending on the temperature outside. If using an automatic sprinkler system, familiarize yourself with its operation to be able to quickly and easily make adjustments based on fluctuations in the normal weather patterns.
Additionally, regularly inspect sprinkler heads to ensure they’re not misaligned or malfunctioning, which can waste a significant amount of water. Finally, while manual sprinklers are a great option, try to adjust the sprinkler so there’s as little overspray on sidewalks and driveways as possible.
Another trick to help with your summer lawn watering is how you mow your grass. Setting your mower blade to a height of 2 ½ to 3 inches helps keep the blades of grass higher – insulating and shading your lawn from the sun while reducing beneficial moisture from evaporating. This is more difficult to control if you utilize a mowing service, as it’s inefficient for them to adjust the mower blades for one lawn.
For more information on caring for your lawn this summer, give your local SavATree branch a call today!
