How to Conserve Water While Maintaining A Great Lawn

With a little practice, you can have a beautiful, healthy lawn while conserving water! The EPA or Environmental Protection Agency's Stats have shown that approximately one-third of all U.S. Residential properties use water for irrigation but half of (50%) irrigation water is wasted due to poor water practices. You should learn the best ways for using water, whether you want to conserve water or are concerned about the rising cost of water, you will find out you can provide less water and still have a beautiful lawn.

If the grass in your lawn is natural to the area you live in, their water needs are in line with the region you live in, and therefore less maintenance is required. As an example, Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue are excellent choices for cooler northern zones while Bermuda grass or Zoysia grass is perfect for warmer southern zones.

Across the board, lawn grasses vary in their water consumption depending on if they are drought-tolerant or resistant. There are grasses that prevent drought by retaining more water, growing deeper roots, or going into dormancy while other grasses can resist dehydration. Choosing the right grass will increase your lawn's ability to conserve water while remaining healthy and beautiful when there is a limited supply of water.

There are varieties of grass that have been qualified by the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance or TWCA. These grasses use less water, require less maintenance, and give you more time to enjoy your lawn. TWCA has a number of qualified varieties of cool or warm-season grasses that have undergone rigorous testing to prove they are statistically significant drought-tolerant vs other grasses. As an example, these grassed require up to 30% less water year after year than other grasses. They can remain green for up to 3 weeks without water.

Definitely start watering your lawn before it shows signs of browning and stress. Your lawn grass needs 1 to 2-inches of water each week which should be enough to get the moisture to soak into the soil at least 6-inches. To find out if your lawn has enough water, you should purchase a rain gauge or follow our DIY steps:

Understand, the grass gets very thirsty, especially during the summer months. Constantly providing moisture around their roots will help them grow. Therefore, the best way to keep your lawn green and lush during the growing season is to keep it well-watered.

One of the best ways to determine the correct length of time to water is placing a pie pan in the yard and determine how long it will take to fill 1/2-inch in depth. Experts, on the other hand, prefer a more accurate method by taking soil conditions into account. Heavier soil does not absorb moisture as fast as loose or sandy soil which should be watered at longer intervals. During long warm spells, dry soil is your key. Set up your sprinkler and set the timer for 30 minutes., then turn off the water and check the soil for moisture depth. You can do this by pushing a shovel into the lawn and tipping it forward to reveal the soil. You should be able to see how deep the water has penetrated. As moist soil is darker, you can apply enough water to penetrate 3 to 4-inches into the soil. If the water has not penetrated enough, restart the watering and continue to keep an eye on the time. After another 15 minutes, check again. Trial and error is the best way to find the best length of time to water your soil type and water pressure.

You should adjust your watering to meet the conditions in various areas of your lawn. Different areas require either more or less water. Take note and then adjust your watering patterns. For instance, an area with south-facing hills will need more water than areas under trees.

You must keep watering during a drought. Don't believe the old wives' tales that grass goes dormant during a drought. The bottom line, if you do not provide your grass with moisture during a drought, it will die. Do not mow your grass during a drought, the cut grass will lose moisture from the blades of grass being cut. The grass will turn brown if you don't continually water. Rule of thumb, do not cut your grass during a hot, dry summer until it has rained for 2 days straight.

If you can, water in the morning hours. The grass will take in the water all day long. Also, watering in the evening can lead to the growth of harmful fungi.

If you don't have an in-ground sprinkler system, don't bother. People with sprinkler systems use more water than is needed because it's easy! Simply set the timer and let it be.

The Atlanta area is a screaming example. For over 10 years, every new house came with a sprinkler system but there were no thoughts about how much water they needed. At one point, Atlanta suffered a terrible drought and lost its principal water supply. Lake Lanier almost dried up. They needed to reach out to outside watering assistance. The water freak's lawns dried up and died in a flash.