When the summer heat hits your lawn in Cleveland, OH and it hasn’t rained for a few weeks, it’s time to give your lawn water from another source. When it rains very little, then your lawn needs help from you to provide the amount of water required. It’s important to give your yard the correct amount of water so the roots are soaked. If the water doesn’t penetrate the soil deep enough, then your lawn may turn brown and die. Here are a few tips on watering your lawn to make sure your lawn stays lush this growing season.
Water efficiently
The best time of day for you to water your grass is early in the morning when there’s not a lot of wind and the air is cooler. The best times to water your lawn is 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. If you water in the afternoon, the heat of the sun evaporates the water too quickly for the grass to benefit. If you water in the evening, the water can sit on the grass overnight. This can cause lawn disease, such as fungus because a wet lawn is the perfect breeding ground for fungus.
Another tip is to water the grass long enough for the soil to be moist about 6 inches or so down. This is the length that a healthy grass root system will grow. When watering your grass for the first time, after watering for 15 minutes, check the soil and see how far down it’s damp. You can take a shovel and lift up a clump of sod and see how far down it has gone. Then you need to time how long it took to get that deep, then you know that’s how long you will need to water to get the same result. Every lawn has a different soil mixture, and you have to figure out how long you need to water for your soil.
Use a sprinkler
For the best watering results in Cleveland, a built-in lawn sprinkler is the most efficient. If a built-in lawn sprinkler (irrigation system) isn’t in your budget, then there is another option. A pulsating revolving sprinkler which you can hook up to your garden hose is the best choice if your lawn is established. This type of sprinkler will shoot the water out horizontally and at a high velocity. This makes the water stream not vulnerable to be pushed around by the wind, and it doesn’t lose as much water to evaporation.
If you have a new lawn, if you use a pulsating sprinkler, it can wash away the seeds with the intensity of the water stream. An oscillating sprinkler is better for new grass and seed because the water lands softer.
Water regularly
Depending on what type your soil is how often you will need to water your lawn. If your soil is sandy, then you’ll need to water about every three days. If your soil is clay, then you’ll need to water it once a week. More water more often isn’t better and especially if you water shallow instead of deep watering. Overwatering your grass can give you fungus and allow your grass can develop a shallow root system. When you water infrequently, it encourages the grassroots to go deeper. You need to water deep and infrequently.
Use an automated timer to help you keep track of the date and duration of each watering. With a timer, you can attach it so it will turn off the sprinkler automatically, so your lawn doesn’t become overwatered. The timer will connect to the faucet, and then the hose connects to the timer.
When involved in water in watering your grass, you either have to make up your mind to water it correctly or not to water it at all. If you choose not to water it, the grass can go dormant as it does in the winter if there isn’t a drought which lasts longer than a month. But you can’t water, then not water and then water again, it’s hard on the grass. Watering your lawn might seem tedious, it is, however, just as important as other steps when taking care of your lawn. Follow these simple steps to help make it more efficient and easier for you to keep your lawn looking fresh!
