Maintaining a beautiful lawn can be one of the most challenging aspects of living in Houston. As one of the top lawn care specialists in Katy and Houston, we’re providing you with some of the best tips for the most important factor that goes into your yard health: watering. Having some trouble watering your lawn? Check out these pointers from the pros.
-
Measure carefully
One of the most confusing parts of watering your lawn can be knowing how much water is enough. We recommend only using about 1-1.5 inches of water per week. This rule can apply year-round. If you’re not exactly sure how much water you’re using, which is a common dilemma, simply do the “bucket test”: place a bucket out in the blast zone and measure how long it takes to get to 1-1.5 inches. Then you’ll know how long to let the sprinklers go.
-
Deeply > daily
It is better to water your lawn “deeply” rather than “daily”. This means that watering your lawn should be a 2-3x a week job, not something you do every day. This can overwhelm the grass and possibly give too much water. This also gives your lawn a chance to absorb the water into the soil properly. Frequent, light watering can lead to fungus or a shallow root system. Also, if you see mushrooms sprouting, that’s a sign you’re over-watering.
-
Bright and early
There is a lot of debate out there about the best time to water your lawn. It can seem tempting to water it in the heat of the day when you think it would need the most moisture, but this is not true. It is best to water the yard early in the morning. Without the sun beating directly down, evaporation of the water will be kept to a minimum. However, you do not want to water at night when the sun is not out, because this can leave your lawn susceptible to disease.
-
Do the screwdriver test
Not sure how to tell if your soil has had enough water? There’s an easy test that can help give you an idea of how saturated your lawn is. The general rule of thumb is that the lawn should be wet about 6 inches deep into the soil. You can test this by taking a screwdriver and pushing it into the grass. If you can stick the entire screwdriver into the soil easily, then you’re good to go.
-
Irrigation systems
New homeowners can often be confused about which direction to go in terms of a lawn watering system. Irrigation systems can initially be expensive, but they are considered one of the most valuable investments for a home. If you struggle keeping your lawn at a healthy level, look into getting an irrigation system to ease the process.
-
New grass, new rules
Watering a lawn is a different story when it comes to brand new grass. You’ll want to keep the top inch of the soil moist, but not soggy. If you water a new lawn too aggressively, there is the chance that you could wash away the seedlings before they have a chance to grow roots. Oscillating sprinklers tend to be better for new lawns for this reason.
-
Timers are your friend
Once you’ve figured out the amount of water your lawn needs and how long it takes to water to that point, a timer can help drastically. Instead of having to watch the sprinklers and possibly forgetting, a timer connected to the system can basically do all the work for you. Of course, you can even set it to the days you’ll want to water as well. Consider getting one of these tools to help you maintain a beautiful lawn.
We specialize in lawn care and maintenance in Katy and Houston, and can beautify your yard for you! We also specialize in irrigation and drainage systems. You no longer have to worry about lawn care if you trust in us to get the job done. If you’re in the greater Houston area, give us a call today!
For more information, visit us at 3dpoolsandlandscape.com.
