Ok, if you've been in Houston for any amount of time, you're aware that our weather patterns are inconsistent and often extreme. From flash flooding to drought in the blink of an eye…and if you're trying to keep your lawn consistently watered…it's enough to make the average homeowner set their sprinkler system and walk away.
Ok, if you've been in Houston for any amount of time, you're aware that our weather patterns are inconsistent and often extreme. From flash flooding to drought in the blink of an eye…and if you're trying to keep your lawn consistently watered…it's enough to make the average homeowner set their sprinkler system and walk away.
Is your lawn over watered or under-watered? Just setting a sprinkler system for the same amount of watering on any given day can be tricky, as many different factors dictate how much water your lawn needs. Temperature, humidity and wind all come into play. Try just walking across your lawn…do you see footprints or does it bounce right back? If you see footprints, that's an indication that you need to water. Often, you can just look at your lawn and see clues to if it needs water or not…are the blades of grass turning off-color, curling up or wilting…those are signs of an overly dry lawn.
Water early in the morning. When you use sprinklers, some water evaporates before it hits the ground. On a hot, windy day, the amount of water that never reaches your grass can actually be quite significant. To reduce loss to evaporation, water sometime before 9 am., when the air is still cool and the wind is usually at its calmest. Sprinkler systems can be adjusted, so don't just set your sprinkler in May and walk away until September. Especially in this day of being environmentally friendly and conserving water, with just a little effort, you can help your lawn be watered more effectively and be a good environmental steward. If we've had a heavy rain, don't let your sprinkler run. Make sure your sprinkler heads aren't wasting water on washing sidewalks and driveways.
Deep watering done less frequently is more beneficial than regular shallow watering, as deep watering will penetrate down deeper to the root system. If you're still unclear to the effectiveness of your watering approach, try this simple test. Turn on your sprinkler for 15 minutes. After 18-24 hours, find out how deep the water soaked in by digging a small hole in the watered area or using a probe (a probe will push easily through damp ground). You can also push a shovel into the ground and use it as a lever to spread the soil apart enough so that you can see several inches below the surface. Once you see how deep the water went in 15 minutes, you can calculate how long you need to leave your sprinkler on. For example, if the soil is damp to 4 inches below the surface and your goal is to moisten the soil to a depth of 8 inches, you'll need to leave the sprinkler on for 30 minutes (2 X 15 minutes) each time you water.