Watering & Drought Advice
how to water to maintain your lawns health
Watering & Drought Advice
During periods of law rainfall what do we need to do to maintain our lawns health?
WATERING OVERVIEW
Maintaining Lawn Health During Low Rainfall Periods
To keep your lawn healthy during dry spells, it’s essential to start early and stay proactive to preserve natural soil moisture. Begin watering your lawn before any signs of drought stress appear, ideally starting from late April or May.
You can make watering more effective by using specialist wetting agents. For customers who prefer not to water frequently, wetting agents provide an excellent solution to help your lawn stay hydrated throughout the summer months.
Spotting the signs
Keep a look out for signs of moisture stress. A combination of high day temperatures, strong winds with little or no rain will prove to be a testing time for your lawns. It’s most evident when you look at foot traffic across the lawn, and often a colour change from its normal colour to a dull blue. Both symptoms suggest that the grass plant has insufficient moisture in the leaves to maintain their structure and is an indication that the moisture status of the plant is critically out of balance.
What can be done?
Definitely, raise the cut height to maximum, this will help with cooling the soil surface and reduce leaf stress.
If you decide to water, we suggest watering well and consistently throughout this period and beyond.
When and how much Water?
It is better to apply two/three good waterings per week to the lawn rather than frequent lights watering. Your lawn will require moistening to a depth of 6" weekly, for a loam or clay soil this will be achieved by approximately by 1-1½" of water. A sandy soil will be moistened to a depth of approximately 6" by ½ -¼" of water. For those on a meter the cost of watering a small to medium size lawn is probably less than you think.
Watering Your Lawn: It’s More Affordable Than You Think!
Many people assume that maintaining a green, healthy lawn with regular watering is costly. However, with a few smart practices, it’s surprisingly affordable to give your lawn the moisture it needs, even during the warmer months.
The Cost of Watering Your Lawn
While water use does contribute to your utility bill, most lawns don’t need as much water as you might think. Typically, a deep, thorough watering twice a week is sufficient to keep your grass looking its best. This schedule also encourages stronger root growth, which can help your lawn stay healthy even in drier periods.
Consider an Irrigation System with a Timer
To make watering both efficient and convenient, consider installing an irrigation system with a timer. Here’s how it can help:
- Efficiency: Irrigation systems distribute water evenly, preventing both dry spots and water wastage from overwatering.
- Precision Timing: With a timer, you can set your watering schedule to run at the best times of day (early morning or late evening) when evaporation is minimal.
- Ease of Use: Once set up, a timer takes care of the scheduling, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to water your lawn regularly.
By investing in an irrigation system with a timer, you can ensure your lawn stays vibrant and healthy without spending more time or money than necessary. Plus, with automated watering, you’re using water only when needed, keeping your costs low and your lawn lush.
If you decide not to water, that isn’t a problem, the grass will do what it does naturally and go into drought dormancy, it will soon recover when adequate rain fall returns.
If you decide that you are not comfortable and/or unable to commit to this watering either financially or time, then all is not lost.
Follow these simple mowing rules:
- Raise the height of cut in dry weather to avoid weakening the grasses, we would recommend an ideal height be no shorter than 5-7cm.
- Letting the clippings fall back onto the lawn rather than collecting them will act as mulch and slow down the evaporation of water from the soil surface. Make sure the clippings are small, or they will smother the grass and cause damage.
- A light topping of the grass will be better than a severe "hacking".
Which lawns and grasses are affected?
Ornamental lawns of fine bent-type grasses are most likely to suffer first. General garden lawns containing fescue and rye grass mixes may have more resistance. For many, the lawn will already be in stress before the symptoms are correctly recognised. Different grasses will do this at different times hence leaving the lawn looking patchy and not at its best, however, lawns that are properly cared for will retain their good looks for longer during a drought and recover quicker. A drought stressed lawn may brown and become weakened leaving it more susceptible to disease problems, insect damage and weed invasion.
A well-maintained lawn usually recovers rapidly with the onset of adequate rainfall, especially if appropriate lawn care is given.
How do I recognise drought stress?
The first sign of a water deficit in the soil is wilting of the turf, at this stage footprints in the grass do not spring back. An additional sign is a colour change from its normal bright green to a dull blue.
It is more efficient to water your lawn at the first sign of drought, rather than wait until the lawn has become stressed or dormant.
When and how much Water?
It is better to apply two/three good waterings per week to the lawn rather than frequent lights watering. Your lawn will require moistening to a depth of 6" weekly, for a loam or clay soil this will be achieved by approximately by 1-1½" of water. A sandy soil will be moistened to a depth of approximately 6" by ½ -¼" of water. For those on a meter the cost of watering a small to medium size lawn is probably less than you think.
If I decide not to water, what else should I do and what to expect
If you decide not to water, don't worry, the lawn is naturally designed to go into a dormant state, which protects its vital root system, visually, the grasses will go dormant and dry out going brown. It will recover when sufficient rainfall occurs.
You can help the lawn recover by spiking your lawn so that when water is applied it can run down into the soil and not sit on the top.
Apply a balanced feed to the soil to encourage a grass plant with strong roots.
Our soil beneficial treatments Soil Improver and Biology Booster when used regularly both benefit your lawn with increased root development.
Other activity that will help:
- Spiking - Aerate or spike your lawn so that when water is applied it can run down into the soil and not sit on the top
- Wetting agents - Applying a wetting agent will allow an water to penetrate into the soil profile and down to the root. Wetting agents are used by groundsman to overcome dry patches caused by a build up of water repellent deposits in the soil. These deposits coat the soil particles and cause them to harden, making them repellent to water. Wetting agents allow available water to soak into the grass, down to its roots, and not just sit on the top. But don't be fooled, they all require sufficient water to work
- Overseeding - Plan your autumn cultural activity for recovery, which could include aeration and over seeding
- Mulching - Letting the clippings fall back onto the lawn rather than collecting them will act as mulch and slow down the evaporation of water from the soil surface. Make sure the clippings are small, or they will smother the grass and cause damage
- Feeding - Despite the dry conditions, applying a balanced feed to the soil to encourage a grass plant with strong roots, this could be applied as either a granular or liquid feed
- Biology Booster - this application with 100% natural ingredients will increase micro biological and worm activity.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DURING DRY CONDITIONS
On close inspection of your lawn you will find its normally the finer grasses that go into dormancy first.
Simply, it's down to lack of moisture content in the soil, caused by a recent dry period.
Yes, as soon as we have adequate rainfall the grass will return to its normal colour.
If you decide to water, then make sure that you water correctly; personally we do not water our own lawns.
You could consider one or both of the following:
- Over Seeding-This will introduce more drought tolerant grasses into your lawn enabling it to withstand these conditions
- Aeration - This will help relieve any compaction from sun dried lawns, will also remove any sub-surface thatch (which can act as a 'mat' preventing effective water penetration)
- Scarification -Review thatch levels during the summer, a build-up of thatch in the summer could prevent water from penetrating the lawn.
We would be happy to discuss these options with you as required.
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