It’s summer! And you know what that means. You gotta give your lawn extra attention if you want it to stay green all throughout the season. Otherwise, your lawn could either end up catching a disease or drying up, and of course neither is a great option.
Here, we’ll be giving you our top 4 lawn watering tips for the summer to help you keep your yard picture perfect.
Tip # 1: Know when to water your lawn
You might be tempted to water your lawn whenever you feel like it, but it’s actually not the best way to go about it!
The best time to water your lawn is before 10 in the morning, as the wind tends to be calmer around that time, allowing your grass to soak in all the moisture it needs.
If you prefer watering your lawn in the afternoon, make sure you do it between 4 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening, so your grass blades have plenty of time to dry before nightfall.
It’s fairly easy to tell when your lawn needs water just by looking at its color. A healthy, hydrated lawn has a lively green color. So if your lawn looks anything but lively, and you’re seeing some dull green patches or there’s a grayish cast on it, it’s time to water your lawn!
Another way for you to determine when your lawn needs watering is by stepping on the grass. If your footsteps leave a mark on your lawn, or you hear a crunch when you step, that means your grass is lacking the moisture it needs to spring back.
But what if you’re going away for some time and can’t ask someone to water your lawn for you? Don’t worry! Lawns are pretty resilient. If your lawn has been properly cared for, it can survive weeks without water. Trust us! And it’s going to return to its normal state once it rains again.
Tip # 2: Don’t overwater your lawn!
Just as parched lawns are a big no for picture-perfect yards, overwatering your lawn is also not a great idea! But you’re probably wondering, “How can I tell if I’ve already watered my lawn enough?”
The rule of the thumb when it comes to watering an already established lawn is to water only until your topsoil is wet. That’s the top 6 to 8 inches of your soil. That amount of water should keep your lawn healthy. You can either give that much water in a single watering, or you can also divide that amount of water into two waterings within a span of a week.
To check how long you should turn on your sprinkler, check how much of your soil has been soaked after you’ve been watering your lawn for 15 minutes. You can do this by getting a screwdriver and digging it into the soil of your lawn to check how deep the water has moved.
If you’re having a hard time getting all 6 inches of your screwdriver deep into the ground, that means you haven’t watered it enough yet.
By checking the soil 15 minutes after you’ve started watering, you’ll be able to do the math easily and come up with an estimate of when you should stop watering your lawn.
Tip # 3: Different types of lawn require different amounts of water
When watering a well-established lawn, you need to make sure that the water gets in deep, around 6 to 8 inches into the ground. That is not the case though with newly seeded lawns.
For newly seeded lawns, you need to make sure that you just keep the top inch of your soil moist. You don’t want your soil to be soggy.
Keep doing that until the seeds start to germinate. Once the seeds germinate, it’s time to keep the top 2 inches of your soil moist until your grass has grown to a height of some 3 inches. This is the time you can start mowing your grass. By then, you can water your lawn once every two weeks, making sure that you’re soaking 6 inches of your soil with water so your grass can grow deeper.
Tip # 4: Know your watering options
Sprinklers come in different types; choose one that fits your needs perfectly. If you live in a windy place, then setting pulsating sprinklers in place can help. These sprinklers shoot water horizontally at high speed, so it’s not affected by the wind.
Another sprinkler you can consider is the hose-end sprinkler, which is great if you have a small to medium-sized lawn. You can also opt for in-ground sprinklers, which are ideal if you’re looking for a sprinkler that can water the lawn in the most efficient way possible.
Lastly, you can consider setting up a smart watering system. This would allow you to control your sprinkler remotely using your mobile device and conveniently schedule watering based on real-time weather data.
Need help setting up sprinklers for your lawn? Not sure which option is best for you?
Stoney Acres can help you plan and install sprinkler systems to suit your needs. Call us today at 925-6826 for a FREE quote!