One of the most critical aspects of lawn care is making sure that the lawn is properly watered. However, this is something that many people take for granted, which is why a large number of people end up with lawns that do not look as appealing as they should. By simply changing your lawn watering habits to ensure that they are consistent with the type of grass you have on the lawn, you can reduce this effect.
In fact, you might even find that using the correct lawn watering methods is much easier and cheaper for you compared to how you approached it in the past. One of the commonest mistakes that many homeowners make it to water their lawns too much, which results in water logging of the soil, wilting of leaves and even poor growth. Having a sound understanding of how to properly water your lawn should therefore not be something to do with trial and error, but a decision that you make based on evidence.
What is sufficient watering of the lawn?
For the watering to maintain healthy roots and to encourage the growth of the grass, watering has to be done in such a manner that it soaks the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. During the winter, however, the requirements for water usually reduce, and this means that you can water the lawn to a depth of around two inches. If you live in a very hot climate, you might need to water it more to account for the increased water losses from the soil.
What this goes to show is that for adequate watering, you will need to take into account issues such as the season and weather conditions. For instance, if you live in a very rainy area, you might actually need to find ways of draining the lawn, rather than watering it.
Understanding moisture stress
One of the other concepts you might need to be familiar with when you are interested in optimizing the watering of a lawn is the issue of moisture stress. When the grass in a lawn is subjected to too much or too little water, it usually shows signs of stress which means that you might need to intervene. Some of these signs include:
• Too little water: When the lawn is too dry, some of the signs that it’s starting to wilt include finding that it does not spring back after you step on it. In addition to that, you might also find that though the lawn is normally very green, it might exhibit a bluish or gray color if it starts drying out. If you notice any of these signs, it’s usually a signal that you should water the lawn since it’s becoming dangerously dry.
• Water logging: One of the major signs of stress as a result of water logging is finding that the grass is wilting, even though the soil feels wet to the touch. In such cases, you would need to ease up on the watering, or find a way to drain the lawn if the water logging is due to rain water. Otherwise, the plants might end up dying as a result of having too much water around their roots.
The frequency of watering
Ideally, you should water the lawn less frequently, but for longer periods of time. A good rule of thumb is to only water the lawn in the morning and evening. Watering the lawn less regularly but more intensely results in the water seeping further down into the soil. This in turn leads to the roots of the grass following the water deeper down, which makes the grass much stronger. When you water shallowly and more frequently, the grass roots tend to grow in a more horizontal manner. They will be weaker, and the lawn will eventually look too spindly.
Take into account the type of soil you have
It’s very important to consider the type of soil you have in your lawn when you are coming up with a plan on how to water it. Generally speaking, clay soils need less watering, since they tend to retain a lot of the water. If you water them too much or as regularly as you would a loam soil, this might lead to water logging that might damage the lawn. However, a lawn that has soil that has a more sandy consistency will let more of the water through. You will need to water it more intensely, otherwise the lawn might simply wilt since it will not have access to any water.
In summary, if you have a lawn that you are interested in making healthier, you will need to have a clear strategy on how to water it so that it gets just the right amount of water it needs. The above are some of the things you need to take into account to make this happen.
