Did you know you can keep turf green on top of a concrete slab? It has been done with constant watering daily to prove a point. The lawn looked great until they stopped watering for a few days. Because of the shallow root system the entire lawn turned brown.
Watering deeply 2-3 times a week, rather than daily.
Watering daily will give your lawn a shallow root system. Shallow root system dries out fast and weakens the turf. Watering deeply 3 times per week will give your grass a deep root system, making it stronger and more drought-resistant.
Water early in the morning as you can, when possible.
Watering early in the morning will ensure your lawn is dry before nightfall. A wet lawn at night on a regular basis can lead to fungus and disease problems. Also, it is cooler and less windy in the morning, so you have less evaporation which will save money on your water bill and take less time to get the water to soak into your lawn. Although, watering any time is always better than not at all.
If you can’t stick a 6” screwdriver into your lawn, you are not watering enough.
Soil dries out from the top down. When you water it is important to soak the soil at least six (6) inches in depth. It should also dry out between watering. This will encourage deeper rooting for turf and plants. Clay based soil absorbs water very slowly and takes longer to soak to six inch depth, but once it is soaked, the clay holds the water much better and needs less watering.
If a brown area doesn’t responds to watering, look for another problem.
Assuming your watering coverage is adequate, you might have a fungus, winter burn, grubs, construction debris buried a foot under the soil or any number of problems.
If you follow this simple rule of watering deeply, you will have a healthier, more drought resistant lawn and your watering will always make a very deep impression.
