Watering a Private Garden

The cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass , perennial ryegrass and the fine fescues do not require the same amount of water for development. Factors such as soil , climate and management practices influence the water requirement . In general , the lawn needs a 1.5 inch of water per week to maintain green color and active growth. The cool season grasses naturally stop growing and enter dormancy during summer .

Before the summer you have to decide if you are going to water the lawn regularly or , if once the weather turns warm and dry, it will leave dormant . No cross from one option to another . In other words , do not let the grass becomes brown to apply enough water to green again and then leave a little dormant once again . If latency is interrupted , the grass must exhaust their food reserves which will cause stress and susceptibility to disease.

When to irrigate ? The first warm days of summer does not necessarily indicate that it is time to start watering the lawn . Indeed, let the grass suffers a mild drought stress conditions helps the grass to take root . Stress can be determined by observing the footsteps or footprints remain marked after crossing the lawn. The grass often becomes darker when suffering drought conditions. Another option is to determine the stress sampling the root zone .

In general , water as infrequently as possible. Water is necessary so that the water reaches the depth of the roots. The exception to this general rule is for the newly seeded lawns where the surface should be kept moist , not rooted for newly transplanted or when there are cases of brown spot breads. The very frequent watering promotes shallow root systems and the development of weeds ( ie crabgrass ) . Ideally, water early in the morning when the grass is wet with dew . Avoid watering at noon. The water is evaporated so the cost becomes higher and irrigation water penetrates into the ground less . Watering at night increases the risk of some diseases appear .

Distribute evenly water the lawn. Irrigators have varied distribution patterns and require the overlapping of spraying to achieve uniform coverage. To measure the dose of irrigation can be placed on the lawn coffee cans or similar containers evenly matched sides. Avoid flooding some areas of the lawn and sideline others. In heavy clay soils with low water holding capacity and the downs attention to excessive runoff; you may have to apply the water in two stages to ensure that penetrates the soil .

Finally, there are some steps to get the most out of the water. Mow at a higher altitude , avoid excess nitrogen when the weather turns warm , limit traffic over the lawn , improve rooting of the grass , plant waste control and soil compaction , and avoid using pesticides in soils under stress conditions . For additional information about turf management under drought conditions , see Handling lawn in times of drought .