We all know our lawns need water. But “how much”, “how often” and “when” are the questions. Turf expert Dr. Trey Rogers explains that early morning is the best time to water (between 4am and 9am) because the rising sun will dry off grass leaves. This is important because keeping the leaves wet overnight increases the risk of turf diseases.
As far as volume, Rogers recommends one inch of water per week whether from rainfall or irrigation. An ordinary rain gauge will work for measuring rainfall, but for irrigation you can create your own gauge. Set out several small containers on the lawn (tuna can size is ideal) and let the sprinklers run for 30 minutes. Measure the depth of water in the container, multiply by two and you know how much water your irrigation system delivers in an hour.
Please Leave a Comment
You can follow comments to this article by subscribing to the RSS news feed with your favorite feed reader.
Comments submitted may be edited for clarity and used on Homefront, Today’s Homeowner®, or posted in articles on dannylipford.com at our discretion. In addition, you may submit questions at our contact page or by calling (800) 946-4420.
July 30th, 2009 at 10:05 am
[...] water, water! Early morning is the best time to water – target plants directly, and water deeply. Avoid getting leaves wet in the hot sun, and avoid [...]