Water and water well!
The community learned a few other tips as well. Over-watering your lawn not only makes for a high water bill, it can lead to fungal disease. It is better not to water than it is to water wrong. How do you know you are using the right amount of water? Take a tuna can and place it on the lawn near your sprinkler. When the can is full, your lawn has enough water. The tuna can equals about one inch deep of watering, and the best part is that this only needs to be done once a week for a healthy lawn. More than this just means more mowing.
- Deep and infrequent watering maintains a healthy root system and reduces weed infestation (as opposed to light and frequent irrigation, which promotes shallow roots and germination of weed seeds).
How often to water
- Water is best applied early in the day (5 to 10 a.m.) when evaporation loss is lowest. Afternoon watering is acceptable but wind may affect uniformity. Night watering minimizes evaporation, but may increase fungal diseases. Consider that numerous automatic sprinklers all running during periods of high household use (early morning) may place extreme demands on a community's water system.
When to water
- Annual core aeration can loosen compacted soil and allow water to infiltrate deeper into the ground.
A yearly duty
- Water the lawn, not driveways, sidewalks, or roads, by adjusting sprinkler heads.
Watch where your water goes
- Look for sprinklers that keep water close to the ground rather than sending a fine mist or spray high into the air. This will help reduce evaporation as well as keep the water on the lawn. Check for uniform water distribution and overlap so that "dry spots" don't develop.
Sprinler Systems
- Over-fertilizing does not make a healthier lawn, it just makes more lawn to mow.