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Water Your lawn this way & save thousands!

Has your lawn gone from a beautiful and healthy green lawn to a dry and patchy brown lawn? Sadly, we’ve seen many cases like this because of too little or too much watering. My Sprinkler Repair wants to make lawn irrigation as easy, effective, and inexpensive as possible. With that in mind, here’s how to maintain a green lawn while saving money!

 
 

When to water your lawn

Between 6 am and 10 am is the best time to water your lawn because wind speeds are low, there’s a less intense sun, and your lawn has the rest of the day to dry. Also, watering in the early morning results in a lesser chance of evaporation from the water being delivered from your sprinklers, which would require you to water your lawn again and waste water. The late afternoon, between 4 pm-7 pm, can also be another great time to water your lawn because the sun tends to be less hot, which results in less evaporation as well.

Just make sure you do not water your lawn at night because there’s no sun to dry your lawn which allows all sorts of fungi, mildew, and plant diseases to hang out on your lawn resulting in a dead and unhealthy lawn. Most leaf diseases and fungus thrive in wet, damp environments which is why it’s best to water your lawn when there is just enough sun to dry it.

 

Fertilizing in the spring

If you properly fertilized in the Fall, there’s no need to apply another layer of fertilizer in the Spring. Cool season grasses, in particular, are good at grasping on to fertilizer from the fall and using it all winter. However, if you have warm season grass then applying a fresh layer of fertilizer during the spring would be good because they begin to soak up the nutrients as soon as the weather gets warmer.

So if you’re fertilizing during the spring then a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer is best. However, no more than a pound of nitrogen should be spread per 1,000 square feet. Fertilizer should not be applied too early or late because the lingering cold or early heat can stress the grass.

Where to water your lawn

It’s no secret that California is pretty much bone dry which is why you need to make sure that you keep sprinkler heads about 4-6 inches away from pavement. Water waste is, unfortunately, a huge problem in the US and we need to do our best to conserve it.

Keeping sprinkler heads away from the pavement and aiming them towards your lawn leads to a healthier lawn and a lower water bill. Trust us, no matter how much you water the pavement, you won’t grow your lawn successfully.

 

How long you should water your lawn

Homeowners tend to leave their automated timer to do the work but most of the time, your timer isn’t set to a correct time. Instead, watering your lawn in a few short cycles and waiting about a half hour to an hour between each cycle is the best way to do it. This method is called “cycle-soak irrigation” and is proven by expert research to effectively converse water and keep plants thriving.

If you typically water your lawn for about 20-30 minutes (which is the recommended time), try watering for about 5 to 6 minutes. Afterward, turn the sprinklers off and let the water soak into the grass for about an hour or so, then turn the water back on and repeat until you hit a total watering period of about 20-30 minutes.

save money & water!

If you apply all of these easy tips to your lawn maintenance routine, the amount of water runoff should subside and your lawn should start looking green and healthy once again! Runoff results from sprinklers that are delivering too much water at a rapid pace that the lawn can’t absorb quickly enough, which results in wasted water and money. So now that you know how to prevent wasted money and water, you’ll start seeing the benefits!