WATERINGIf you want to have a beautiful green lawn throughout the season, you have to water it. In most areas, this normally means applying 1 to 2 inches of water per week during any period when there is insufficient rainfall. The weather and your soil type will have an effect on how much water the grass will need.
It is much better for your lawn to water it heavily once or twice a week than to water it lightly more frequently. These frequent applications will cause the grass plants to be shallow-rooted and unable to withstand stress. If you want to know how much water you are applying at one time, place one or two small containers within the sprinkler pattern and check them periodically. As a general rule, with most home sprinkling systems, it will take at least a few hours to apply a sufficient amount of water. It is ideal to wet the soil to a depth of 4 to 8 inches each time you water. That is the equivalent to between 1 and 2 inches of rainfall.
There are two easy methods of determining if it is necessary to apply water. The first is to push a trowel or similar tool into the ground and move it back and forth enough so that you can see the soil four to five inches deep. If the soil at that depth is not moist, water is needed. A second method is to see if, when walking across the lawn, you leave footprints. If footprints appear, your lawn is under drought stress and should be watered immediately.
Many people water their lawns in the evening but this practice should be avoided because it encourages turfgrass diseases such as dollar spot and brown patch. Also, try to avoid watering during hot, windy days because much of the water is being evaporated before the roots are able to use it. Early morning is the best time to water.
One final point which is extremely important:If you can't water your lawn throughout the summer months, it is best to simply let the grass go dormant. By watering only in the spring and early summer or watering only occasionally through the summer, you will interfere with the grasses natural means of coping with drought. While the lawn will go off color and not look very good in the summer if you don't water at all, it won't be under undue stress from interrupted watering. Our summer application will not put any stress on your lawn if you don't water. Also avoid letting the lawn go into dormancy and decide to start watering to bring it back. This will require a considerable amount of water and is stressful on the lawn.
These tips are designed to help inform you about proper cultural practices such as mowing and watering and common basic lawn problems that may arise. If you ever have any concerns about your lawn or our services please call us.
The Naturescape® Guarantee
Your Naturescape® specialist is committed to making you happy with our service and your lawn and landscape. If you are not completely satisfied with the results of our services or you have any questions or concerns, please call your area branch office and we will be happy to take care of them free of charge within 72 hours.
At all our 38 locations