IRRIGATION IN HOT WEATHER

When the weather is hot, the irrigation of your lawn depends to a considerable extent on how you are watering it. The first rule concerning the lawn irrigation is the following: water the lawn every day in the morning. However you should exclude those days when you have mowed the grass as you will need more time to mow wet grass. In addition, if you ignore this rule, the lawn will look uneven after mowing.
If you water the lawn area with spray sprinkles, then you can irrigate it 10 minutes a day. But remember, it is advisable to divide irrigation procedure in two cycles. The thing is that after 5 minutes, the smallest pores that are situated between soil particles fill with water. You will need to wait approximately an hour till the water percolates through the soil.
If you have slow-moving rotary sprinklers, in this case you should increase the time to 15 minutes per each irrigation application. In comparison with spray sprinkles, the rotary ones deliver water 3 times slower. So by slow-moving sprinkles, you will need to water your lawn during 30 minutes per day.

If you live in the area where the climate is dry, you can irrigate the lawn at any time before daybreak and after sunset. This time is favorable for the plants as they produce enough sugar for their growth only when they are hydrated and in addition unexposed to sun. The most propitious time for producing sugar is from 7 to 10 a.m.
It should be noted that annual flowers need daily watering. As concerns perennial plants, shrubs, bushes, tress or ground covers, they can be watered every other day or even less during hot weather. To determine how much water your plants need you can make a simple test. You should examine the soil at a 2-inch depth. The soil can be dry on its surface; however at a depth of two inches it can be humid. In this case, irrigation can wait.

The irrigation zone that consists of both lawn and perennials, or lawn and ground cover is another point to pay attention to. The reason is that in mixed areas you can overwater ground covers, perennials or shrubs because lawns usually need significantly more water than other plants. The only thing to do is to remove or replant either lawn or the other plants. If you wish, you can remake the sprinkler system taking into consideration various irrigation zones.