It’s been 90 degrees plus here in the Midwest over the last two weeks, and this has put quite a bit of stress onto our cool season lawns. In fact, it’s been downright tough keeping the lawns green, but not impossible.
Now, I realize there is a whole faction of people out there who literally preach against lawn irrigation. Then think it’s a waste of water. I am not here to get into that argument (but since I am telling you how to water your lawn in summer, you can guess how I feel about it).
My goal here is to help you keep your lawn green and healthy during the hottest months of the summer while maximizing the water you lay down. We want it to get deep into the root system of the lawn, and here is how…
1) First, we need to use the best sprinkler. A good quality sprinkler will keep the water low to the ground so it doesn’t blow off target (like onto the driveway or into the street). It will also throw out larger droplets that do not evaporate as easily because they are heavier and can penetrate deeper into the lawn when they hit. I recommend impulse sprinklers for this task, also called “impact sprinklers.” A quality, metal/zink constructed impact sprinkler will be your best tool for watering your lawn properly during summer heat.
2) Water only in the morning if possible. Watering in the morning prior to 10 AM will allow the lawn to drink before they sun comes in at full blast and sucks it away. If you water at night, the water will sit there too long and can cause fungal problems. However, if you have no other choice and can only water at night, then go ahead.
3) Irrigate twice per week if temps are in the 80s, and three-times-per-week if we touch into the 90s. When you do irrigate, I want you to lay down a solid 3/4″ of water in each area or zone. I can get down 3/4″ of water with my impact sprinkler in about 55 minutes depending how wide I set it to cover. If you are not sure, use a rain guage to test it. You only need to do this once to know how long it takes to get down the right amount of water.
4) Irrigate after you mow. If you mow on Saturday, then I recommend you make Sunday one of your watering days. This is because the lawn is freshly cut and shorter in length, allowing more water to penetrate faster.
It’s OKAY To Let The Lawn Go Dormant
One little talked about option for your lawn during the summer is to let it go into dormancy. Turf will naturally turn brown and go dormant during the hottest months if it does not get enough water. It’s a mechanism of protection and it perfectly healthy for the turf. We just need to ensure the lawn gets about 1/4 ” of water every 10 days or so in order to avoid drought damage. This is usually something you can get just from sporadic summer rains unless we hit a complete drought situation.
The lawn will turn green naturally in fall when temps cool off and more rain hits. They key here is to let the lawn stay dormant once it gets there. If you do decide to start watering a dormant lawn, you MUST stay consistent with the irrigation once the lawn recovers. It is very unhealthy for turf to be allowed to go in and out of summer dormancy.
SO there you go guys, I hope you are all set up to keep that little patch of green love healthy and vigorous all summer long!
