Love Your Landscape – August 2014

Summer is definitely here with temperatures commonly soaring above 100 degrees, making it a challenge to keep our landscaping and lawn looking green and healthy. With current summer conditions, the demand for water can be extreme but there are ways to keep your water use low and your landscape looking great. Usually, water waste comes from older irrigation systems that are not properly maintained. How many times have you noticed a grassy area being irrigated when half of the water being applied is running down the side walk and into the street? These problems can be taken care of with a little extra care by simply going through the system and fixing and adjusting what’s not working well.

Depending on your soil type, the amount of water it can be retain varies. Setting proper irrigation times for the soil type can be important. Another major factor is the amount of pop-up style sprinkler heads used in a given area. Obviously, if the sprinkler heads are not spaced properly, either too little or too much watering is being applied to the turf.

Another factor in the amount of water needed is the type of grass in your lawn. The most common grass in our area is perennial rye. I like this grass for our specific climate because of its seasonal versatility. Though it may require a bit more water than a fescue-type grass, it’s worth it.

The style and type of sprinkler head is probably the greatest factor in the amount of coverage and control you have with irrigating turf areas. The most common type of pop-up sprinkler is the spray head, which usually applies way too much water in a short amount of time. The turf and soil usually cannot retain this much water, creating excess run-off. If you have this style of pop-up, then it’s best to give your turf a short watering time a few times a day. When I say short, I mean from 5 to 10 minutes at a time. But my best suggestion is to change to another style of head and get better coverage with an average of 1/3 less water use.

Hunter Industries make an irrigation head for pop-up- style sprinklers called MP rotators. I like these for several reasons: they use less water, have superior coverage, are user friendly, adjust easily and use 1/3 less water. They cost a little more but are worth the investment.

Watering your grass early in the morning is best, and if you change to watering twice a day during the hottest part of the summer, water late in the afternoon for the second time.

Fertilizing on a regular basis goes hand-in-hand with a healthy lawn and maximizing water use. Grass that is under-nourished appears as if needs more water to look good but probably just needs some food!

I hope these simple tips help you with your lawn and landscape and inspire you to check the state of your irrigation system, save water and have it look its very best!