Watering your Lawn during the summer isn’t quite as simple as everyone believes. Sunlight that can damage and dry out grass has led to the myth that it needs watering when it’s hot and sunny during the day. In fact, this can actually damage your garden due to the magnification of the sun’s rays from the water. Good techniques can help prevent disease and insect growth whilst keeping your lawn lush:

Use your eyes

An easy way to see if the grass is in need of an urgent watering is to walk over it. If your footprints don’t disappear quickly after walking over it, it’s because its blades are too dry to spring back!

Morning is the Optimal Time for Watering your Lawn

The morning is the ideal time to water your lawn. It may seem like your grass will need refreshing in the mid-day sun, but that water will be wasted as it dries out too quickly and actually magnifies the sun’s intensity. Instead, aim to have your sprinkler system set up to work in the A.M. It will do the work for you when the air is cooler and the wind is typically still, so water isn’t blown away.

Evening watering is also not ideal, due to the fact temperatures will drop off significantly during the night and disease of your grass will be a serious risk. The water will just stay on the grass, helping to create fungus. The optimal times to have your sprinkler system running will be typically in the 4. am. to 10.a.m window.

Healthy Soil Absorption is Essential

It’s the not all about the grass, the soil is the key to your lawn’s health. During summer, water run off can become a problem. This occurs when watered too quickly. So, it is important to not overwater too much in one watering period. Instead, the soil needs to absorb water, which will only happen with a soft soil. Typically, the water needs to reach six inches into the ground. You can time how long it takes for the water to reach that deep, and then use this as your watering duration.

Increase Watering Frequency

To keep your lawn lush and green during the hot months, you’ll need to water typically every 4-5 days, rather than once a week. Sandy soils may need 3-4 days between watering periods.

Let the surface dry before Watering your Lawn

You still need moist soil, but what this means is, you need to allow the surface of the soil to have time to dry so that fungi and insect eggs die, rather than being helped.

Reduce Watering on slopes

If your lawn is on a slope, you need to take care with the amount of water it gets at one time. If watered too quickly it will simply run off down the hill. The soil needs to absorb it.

Increase Watering around trees

Trees are greedy things. They take the moisture from around them and leave surrounding soil dry and thirsty for water. You’ll likely need to increase the frequency of watering around trees, to avoid drying soil.

Get a Sprinkler System that does the work for you

Not everyone can, or even wants to get up early to water their lawn. With a sprinkler system, you can set a timer and be sure it will get to work efficiently, hitting the right spots at the right times. A sprinkler system won’t overwater or underwater and you can set it to run during those optimal morning hours. Get in touch with the experts at All Phaze Irrigation to discuss sprinkler system installation today!