While we’ve had a recent downpour giving our garden and lawns a good soaking it doesn’t mean that you should completely forget about watering your lawn this summer. As the weather gets warmer and more humid, your lawn will need extra TLC to give it a healthy look and feel.
Every lawn is different, but you should stick to some of our crucial tips to keep your lawn fresh and tip-top.
When Should You Water?
You might not realise but the best time to water your lawn is early in the morning. Having wet grass at night promotes disease so this isn't a great time. Cooling temperatures and breezes help keep evaporation to a minimum. If you water early in the morning, it also helps keep your lawn cooler during the day, especially during the warmer more humid parts of the day. Keeping your grass cool in warmer periods will only aid its overall health. Soil type, grass type, exposure to sun and wind are just a few of the factors that will determine how frequently you need to water
How Much Should I Water?
Our advice would be to get the best results you should water your lawn and soil down to about 6 inches, which is the average depth of a healthy root system. As we mentioned earlier, every lawn is different, so the best way to see how deep your root system grows is to get a screwdriver or similar item and once you have watered your lawn, push the screwdriver into the lawn. The blade should have no issues in penetrating the turf to a depth of around 6 inches. If you come up against some resistance, your lawn hasn’t been watered enough, and you need to give your lawn some extra watering time.
Watering & Sprinkler Usage
Some homeowners will just use a hose pipe to water their lawns- if you do make sure it has a trigger gun attachment. Some homeowners will have a more enhanced sprinkler system. Sprinklers are a great way to water your lawn without the hassle of having to do it yourself. They are especially handy if you have a large area to water which can be time-consuming. How long do you leave your sprinkler on to get the right amount of coverage? Well, here’s a handy tip. Place an empty can or coffee mug in the sprinklers watering zone and turn on your sprinkler. Wait until your can or cup has it the 6-inch level and you will know how long to leave it running.
Watering In Drought
It is hard to think that we get the level of heat in the UK that requires hosepipe bans. But over the past few years, certain parts of the country have needed to water their gardens economically. The average hosepipe uses 170 litres of water for every 10 minutes that it is turned on. That’s almost 19 flushes of a toilet in just 10 minutes. In one hour a hosepipe will use the same amount of water as a whole family would use in 2 days. Rainwater is the best water for your lawn. It contains high levels of nutrients than water from a tap. If you find yourself in an area in a drought, we advise you to invest in a water butt. When it eventually rains, you will be able to collect the rainwater and in turn water your lawn with it. We've had some great thunderstorms lately which will help put some nitrogen into the lawns. Don't be afraid to let your grass grow longer to make it more resilient during dry periods.
Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
