Summer!
It's lawn watering time - and there is nothing as important during the summer
months as good watering to keep your prize lawn in tip top condition!
It takes just a few days of clear skies for the first few centimetres of soil to
become very dry indeed. This is particularly important to young lawns as it can
take two full years to establish deep root systems.
The occasional summer storms -even quite heavy ones - provide only temporary
relief…a regular supply of the right amount of water is essential.
Watering WHEN required is the trick. That means basically LOOKING at the lawn
regularly and assessing WHERE it is drying out - because it may not be drying
out evenly… Soil conditions can be different, some parts may be shaded for
longer periods than others, some areas may have more of a slope than others,
some areas may be exposed to more breeze that dries off the lawn faster etc etc.
Any or all of these factors can affect the evaporation rate and resulting
appearance of the lawn.
And that brings up the matter of application method. If you can adjust your
automatic sprinkler system selectively to respond to different areas of your
lawn, then this may work quite well.
However, if various parts of your lawn need differing watering rates for
whatever reason, there may be no alternative to the good old hand held hose or
sprinkler.
Water is expensive, and so it is important to apply only when and where needed.
For sandy soils that drain very quickly, it may actually be wasteful to heavily
water once a week, as much of the water may not be retained in the soil, but
actually drain away within a matter of a day or two, leaving the lawn thirsty
for the balance of the week. On really hot days, the top few centimetres of the
soil may be very dry by the end of the day.
The answer is to be guided by the look of your lawn and water accordingly.
Inspect the lawn in the late afternoon and water as required, look for areas
that are a bit off colour and water enough to ensure overnight recovery.
Check the lawn out in the morning and quickly water the areas that haven't
recovered overnight, especially if the prediction is to be a hot day.
You'll get the hang of it after a few a few days! And you'll probably save on
the water bill.
Beware of overwatering - especially on clay and/or compacted soils.
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