Efficiently watering your lawn/plants
Watering your lawn can be a tricky task, as you want to make sure you’re providing enough water for your grass to thrive, but not so much that you’re wasting water or causing runoff. Here are some tips to help you water your lawn efficiently:
1. Water early in the morning or in the evening. The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning or in the evening, when the temperature is cooler and the wind is calmer. This will help to prevent evaporation and ensure that the water is able to penetrate the soil deeply.
2. Check the weather forecast. Before you water your lawn, make sure to check the weather forecast. If it’s going to rain soon, there’s no need to water your lawn. Watersense labeled irrigation controllers can take care of it for you. They use local data to water only when needed.
3. Invest in a rain sensor device. This will prevent your system from running on rainy days.
4. Water deep and long. This causes roots to go deeper for water and enables the plant to be more tolerant of droughts. Do not over water. See below for what can happen as a result of over watering.
5. Consider installing a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation systems can be a great way to water your lawn efficiently, as they deliver water directly to the roots of the plants and can help to prevent evaporation.
Both underwatering and overwatering can damage your landscape and result in expensive repairs. Overwatering also leads to large increases in your water bill. Most local water purveyor’s keep an eye on our water use, and send out notices if they decide you’re using more water than normal. Below is an excerpt of some information on overwatering from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency:
“If water begins to pool, turn off your sprinkler to prevent overwatering, weed growth, disease, fungus, and stormwater runoff that pollutes local waterways with fertilizers and pesticides. Watering plants or grass too frequently can drown plants or result in shallow roots. You can simplify your irrigation schedule by replacing your standard clock timer controller with a WaterSense labeled irrigation controller.
Water can easily pool on some landscapes with clay-rich soils or slopes if water is applied too quickly. These landscapes can benefit from dividing irrigation runtimes into intervals with short breaks in between to allow water to soak into the soil. Keep water in your landscape and reduce overwatering by implementing cycle and soak“
By following these tips, you can water your lawn efficiently and keep your grass looking healthy and green.
Also, be mindful of local laws and restrictions on watering during summer or drought times, not all laws are the same, and might have penalties if not followed.
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Get the most out of your irrigation system by contacting a professional. Dobson irrigation can help design, install, maintain, and evaluate your system – We will ensure that your system is being used in the most efficient way.
