Lawn Watering

Your lawn may not need as much water as you think. Grass clippings are composed of 85% water so keeping them on your lawn is a good source of water.

Tips for Keeping a Healthy Lawn:
  • A healthy lawn requires about 1 inch of water a week
  • Use a rain gauge to measure rainfall and watering
  • Use a sprinkler that shoots low to the ground - oscillating sprinklers often loose water to evaporation
  • Set your mower height high (2 ½ inches or higher); lawns maintained at higher heights usually develop deeper roots and dry out slower
  • Determine your lawn's watering needs - if footprint in the grass does not spring back, watering is needed
  • Brown grass is dormant and not dead - dormant grass cannot be brought back to green once it has gone dormant
  • Dormant lawns only need about ¼ to ½ inch of water every 2-3 weeks

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Here are some simple steps you can take to change the amount of lawn watering you do that will help keep our water clean:
  • Watch the weather. Don't water if a one-inch rainstorm has occurred in the last week.
  • Postpone watering if the forecast calls for rain.
  • Don't set a schedule for watering; apply only when needed
  • A good soaking once or twice a week is better than watering every day. Allowing the soil to dry, allows the roots to grow to greater depths.
  • Water in the early morning hours, before 9:00 am
  • Don't water heavily after applying fertilizer
  • Set up your sprinkler so it only waters the lawn and not nearby paved surfaces

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