Watering your lawn in summer

With the warmer weather, it can be difficult to tell if your lawn is getting enough water unless it turns brown, and no one wants that happening.

First, you will be glad to know that it's not necessary to water lawns and plants every day. And, in general, more plants are killed through over-watering than under-watering.

Second, you will want to take some time to understand the properties of the soil in your yard. You might not have known this, but water penetrates and behaves differently depending on the type of soil that's present. Do you have sandy or loose soil? Or, are you dealing with lots of rocks or clay? Depending on your soil composition, the goal is to set up a watering system that allows for water penetration 6" to 8" below the ground surface.

To determine this, you'll need to find out how deep your current watering set up is allowing the water to penetrate into the soil. With a shovel, you'll want to pick an inconspicuous spot where you've been watering. Thirty minutes after the watering cycle is finished, dig a small hole and use your hand to measure how deeply the water has penetrated. Remember the goal is 6" to 8" beneath the surface of the soil.

Check a few different locations to see if your watering is even throughout the yard. If there are dry spots, mark where those are so you can plan for them in your new irrigation setup.

What's important to note, however, is even if you water regularly it's not likely that the water is being dispersed uniformly. Also if all the surface seems wet, you may find that there are wetter spots and drier spots around your yard where the penetration was more or less.

To check whether your watering system is working evenly across your yard, you can place some plastic cups around your yard before you water. A few coins in the bottoms of the cups will help prevent them from blowing over. Once the cups are placed, turn on your sprinkler system. Water will collect in the cups as you water. After watering for about 30 minutes, compare the level of water in each of the cups. You may discover that there is more water in some of the cups than in others. Frequently, areas within close proximity to the sprinkler receive less water than areas several yards away. Use this information to plan out if you need to select different heads for your sprinklers, extend or move lines, etc.

When it comes to installing or repairing irrigation lines, it is often best to bring in a professional who has the experience and tools to do the job right. The irrigation team at Graham Landscape & Design can work with you to make sure your lawn is getting the water it needs, where it needs it, so you can enjoy a healthy, beautiful lawn all summer long. Give us a call today at 54-729-8029.