The Importance of Deep Watering
The heat of Wisconsin summer is here! And often times that comes along with the need to water your lawn, especially when the rain we get often is not enough. Follow some of these simple but very useful tips and you will cut down your work load and also help your lawn get what it needs.
For an already established lawn (no new seed or sod) deep, weekly watering is the best. Your lawn needs to receive at least 1-2 inches of water (rain plus irrigation) during the hotter months of the growing season. Applying that amount of water in one deep watering will ensure that the soil is moist at least 4-5 inches down into the soil; this encourages the grass to root deeper into the ground, making more water resources and nutrients available to the plants. To measure how much water you are applying you can use a rain gauge or a straight sided can placed on the lawn in the area you are watering.
Timing is also important when watering your lawn. Watering in the earlier hours of the morning ensures that you do not loose excess water due to evaporation from heat and wind. Early morning watering also allows the leaf blades to dry before the sun sets, decreasing the chance that a disease or fungal pathogen may take hold.
In the absence of water, or even enough water, a lawn will go dormant. This shows up as irregular browning out patches that may eventually spread as the soil continues to dry. Dormancy also makes disease and insect damage very difficult to spot. If this happens, the best thing to do is to wait until Mother Nature decides to produce enough rainfall to bring it out of dormancy. This transition requires a tremendous amount of nutrients and stresses out the plants. A dormant lawn that has been treated with controlled release fertilizer will not burn, but will actually come out of dormancy quicker and with less stress since it has the nutrition it needs available.
Keyman Fertilization & Weed Control, LLC
608.845.9480
