With this Georgia heat, it should be no surprise that your turf wants a drink too. Consistently blazing hot days can dry out your soil, which leads to dry and thirsty grass. Your soil needs the right combination of nutrients, oxygen, water, and sunlight to promote the healthy growth of your grass. Your yard needs 1 inch of water weekly, especially during the summer. If the summer storms did not deliver the necessary weekly water, you need to plan on watering yourself. Consistent hydration is vital for your turf’s health this summer. Our turf team at Nature’s Turf wants to share our best watering practices to ensure your yard stays healthy in between our visits.
Watering Tips
· Choose the Right Time of Day—After you drink your morning cup of coffee, head outside to help your yard start the day with a drink. Ideally, water your yard sometime between 5-9am. Watering early in the morning allows your soil to soak up the water before the blazing sun causes the water to evaporate. If you wait until later, the water will have difficulty absorbing properly, which means your soil and grass will miss out on the full benefits of the watering. Watering late in the day is problematic too because the water will not fully absorb, and your grass could develop a fungus. Another benefit of watering early is that you will not have to go outside in the heat while watering your lawn. You and your lawn win by watering in the morning.
· Water Deeply—Shallow watering can lead to weak plants as the soil only has the proper moisture near the surface, so roots will form shallowly. Deep roots are much healthier. Watering deeply means that you water your yard 2-3 times per week for a total of 1 inch of water to ensure that the water was able to permeate deeply into the soil. You can adjust your watering schedule if you are getting natural rainfall throughout the week.
· Utilize a Sprinkler—Although you could stand outside with a hose and try to move it back and forth evenly for 20 minutes, we would not recommend it. Not only will you likely be bored, but you could have patches in your yard from uneven watering. A sprinkler will deliver the needed water evenly across your yard. There are a few choices of sprinklers which can be used for watering your lawn: in-ground sprinklers, hose-end sprinklers, and pulsating sprinklers. If you prefer to simplify your morning routine, you could even purchase a sprinkler with a timer that comes on for the morning watering.
Water properly and your yard will thank you. A hydrated lawn can grow healthily and beautifully. Download our watering guide to achieve the best results! If you are interested in improving your turf’s health, schedule a visit from Nature’s Turf. We can help your grass achieve optimal health and appearance.
