Using less water on your lawn

There are three major areas of lawn maintenance to be considered that will have an impact on how much water the lawn will need.

  1. Fertilizing
    Healthy lawns need food.  The main nutrient that lawns need is nitrogen. If you mulch mow, this amount can be reduced.  Remember - the more nitrogen you feed a lawn, the more water it will require because it is growing so fast. A fertilizer with slow release nitrogen will help minimize rapid growth that occurs following fertilization. Healthy lawns will use less water and will have fewer weed and insect problems. 
     
  2. Mowing
    Kentucky bluegrass can tolerate a wide range of mowing heights. The depth of the root system is proportional to the height of the leaf blade.  A shallow (3-4”) root zone needs to be watered more frequently.  Bluegrass mowed at 2-1/2 – 3” does very well in our climate.  Best mowing practices remove about one-third of the leaf blade at a time.  Mulch mowing returns the nutrients in grass clippings back to the soil and does not cause thatch build-up. Always, remember to keep the mower blade sharp – it will cut the grass cleanly.  
     
  3. Watering
    Poor watering practices could be the cause of your landscape problems. The “set it and forget it” attitude wastes a lot of water. Your watering habits can be easily adjusted if you have an automatic sprinkler system or are a ‘hose dragger’. You can tell if your lawn is thirsty if footprinting occurs after a person has walked across the lawn or the color has changed from a lush green to a bluish-gray.  Both of these signs tell you it’s time to water. Be careful not to apply more water than the soil can hold in the root zone of the grass. Often times multiple shorter cycles are more effective. This method is commonly referred to as “cycle and soak”.