Do It
Keep Your Lawn Going Strong
For green thumbers, summer can be an up and down season. On the positive side, summer provides a chance for gardening or lawn care afficionados to get out in the warm air and cultivate their gardens and lawns. However, the often harrowing heat synonymous with summer can also drive homeowners crazy, as they witness the sun ravage their carefully cared for lawn.
But watering a yard properly can go a long way toward relieving the stress that comes with the summer season. Even for homeowners living in regions where long droughts are commonplace, the following tips should help keep lawns looking green and lush.
• Don’t spend too much time on one spot: When watering in summertime, it's best to look at your yard as having several different zones. When watering each zone, be careful not to spend too much time on each one, instead watering each zone several times for shorter durations of time. For example, rather than spending 12 straight minutes watering a given zone, spend 4 minutes at a time watering each zone, and do so 3 times. This can reduce run-off, and each zone will get 12 good and fruitful minutes of watering.
• Position sprinklers correctly: Too often homeowners are paying to water their sidewalks, driveways or other areas such as patios where there is no grass. That’s thanks to poorly positioned sprinklers that are overshooting grass, trees or shrubs. When positioning sprinklers, be sure to do so in a way that the water isn't watering concrete or asphalt. This is especially important for people who live in areas where drought restrictions are commonplace. In such areas homeowners will need to make the most of the water they’re allowed to use.
• Water at the right time: While it might seem like your yard needs water most when the day's temperature is at its hottest, that's only half true. While it is true your yard needs water then, that does not mean this is when you should be watering. Watering when the day is most hot will lead to increased evaporation, greatly reducing the water's effect and impact on your lawn. Instead, water when the sun is low and winds are calm, such as late afternoon, early evening or, ideally, before sunrise.
• Don’t overdo it: Even if your lawn looks bad, you want to avoid overdoing it when it comes to watering. Watering too frequently can lead to significant problems, such as weed growth, fungus or even disease. In addition, watering too much leads to shallow roots, weakening the grass or plants in the meantime. In general, saturate the root areas and then allow time for the soil to dry. This will make for stronger roots and a lawn that is more capable of surviving the heat.
