Lawn Watering

Natural rainfall is not enough for two reasons: it doesn't ensure an adequate amount and is isn't distributed evenly enough. This is particularly true when the lawn has just been fertilized. As can be seen below, there are a lot of factors that go into determining the kamount of water that your lawn needs. A lawn is better off with a good watering that ' will soak in to the proper depth for your specific soil type. Consult with your lawn care professional as you determine how much and how often to water your lawn. Watering too frequently can cause more annual weeds, shallow grass roots and more chance of disease due to constant moisture. Too much watering will replace oxygen in the soil; the grass will die.

Factors to Consider

Shade - More water is required under trees since they take a lot of moisture out of the soil. Soil Type and Condition - One inch of water will penetrate 12 inches into sandy soil. The same amount will soak in six to 10 inches in loam and only four to five inches in clay. You will need to adjust your water accordingly. Compacted soil will be more likely to allow water to run off and requires core aeration to remedy. Slopes - A slope allows water to run off rather than soak in. It also means that there is more evaporation due to exposure to the sun if facing south or west. Weather - How often and how much has it been raining? Again, a rain gauge is helpful. Bottom Line When your lawn is getting enough water? Check for wilting around noon. If you can walk across the lawn and leave footprints in the grass, it needs water.

Terms of Lawn Watering

Duly and regular watering, along with lawn edge plays an important role, especially at the new lawn care works. The quantity of precipitations is usual enough for the lawn not to degenerate. But there are long droughty periods in the late spring and summer and then it is necessary an additional irrigation. The purpose of irrigation - to fill up soil tanks with water, not supposing their full dehydration. Excessive watering as well as insufficient is dangerous enough, that is why it must be regular and frequent. The first signs of lack of a moisture on the settled lawn appear, as soon as the top 10 cm of the soil are dried up. If in the near future it isn't watered, the grass color becomes straw, and in the further it may due to partial or full dying off of the lawn. In spite of the fact that lawn grasses rarely completely perish from the drought, and after the rain they are slow restorated, there is a danger, that some weeds, much more drought-resistant, than cereals, will extend among the weakened grass.

First sign of irrigation necessity - is loss of grass elasticity. It is better to irrigate before the following stage, when changes of color occur(bright green color fades and the gray-green shade appear). Before to begin watering it is necessary to check up the surface. If the top layer of ground has hardened or on the surface there are parts of died grass, it is required to make the piercing of the sod for increase the water penetration. The best time for watering - is evening or early morning. At this time the weather is cool and the evaporation from the surface will be minimal. In addition, it would prevent the emergence of sunburn that appear on the lawn irrigation in the bright sun.

Best irrigation frequency depends on the soil type and weather conditions. Grass on sandy soils is more prone to drought than lawn on clay or heavy soils, and in areas with light soil it is needed more frequent irrigation. The hot periods the watering needs to be more frequent than in the cooler dry periods. Best irrigation frequency under normal dry conditions is once a week. At very hot weather or on the freely drainaged soil irrigation frequency should be increased to two times a week, and the cool weather-reduced to once in 10 days. Sometimes it is useful to let the lawn to dry out some time between watering, to ensure aeration and promote deeper roots. Every day watering, or once every two days leads to the multiplication of moss and bryozoans and forming surface roots at the turf plants.

The Watering Norms

In order to determine the length of your water irrigation system, to ensure adequate moisture in the irrigated area, you can use the following method. Place several tanks within reach of the dispenser, turn on the system and mark the time, for which in the tanks a certain quantity of water is collected :

1.2 cm water level = 8.5l/m2 - necessary minimum

2,5 cm = 17 l/m2 - the amount needed to recover the costs of water per week at the dry weather

In the future, in order to achieve optimal soil moisture turn on the irrigation system at the interval as specified above. The watering should never be used in order to only soak the surface. Land must permeate minimum to 10 cm.