Many people don't understand lawn watering and that the health of your lawn depends on keeping it hydrated. For beginners, practicing lawn watering can be daunting and confusing. What is lawn irrigation?
relay waterIt's not a one-off activity, which means it's very detailed and requires you to be well-informed about everything it involves. Following are measurements to consider when designing a lawn irrigation system.
- When to water the lawn, including specific times of day
- How often should the lawn be watered and how much water is considered sufficient
- water penetration rate
- where to water
- What tools are needed and what is watering the lawn?
When should the lawn be watered?
Morning is the best time to start your lawn irrigation system, as the air is cool at that time of day. Water is more likely to penetrate deeply and wet the grass. In particular, the best time to water your garden is between 4am and 10am.
Noon is not the best time to water your garden for several reasons. For example, hot temperatures cause a lot of water to evaporate. This look minimizes the entry of water into your lawn.
Evening is also not the best time to water the lawn, as the likelihood of mold growth on the lawn is very high during this time. Also, the water doesn't penetrate deep enough into the grass. Instead, moisture invades the grass blades overnight, causing grass disease.
It is better to wash the lawn in the morning on the weekend than in the evening after work, when you cannot water the lawn between 4 am and 5 pm. m. and 10 a.m. Sprinklers that can be set on a timer are the best case scenario. The benefits of effective irrigation are that it makes waking up early to water the lawn easier and ensures that the lawn is watered evenly.
Lawn watering frequency and how much water is considered sufficient
How often you water your lawn is less important than how much water your lawn needs to stay healthy. A lawn typically needs at least 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, year-round.
Due to evaporation, you will need to water your lawn more frequently during the summer months or if you are in an area that is mostly warm temperatures. Heat tends to dry out the turf, which contributes to insufficient hydration and adverse turf health. It is better to water the lawn well 2-3 times a week than to lightly water it every day.
You should also keep in mind that overwatering the grass will do more harm than good. Underwatering ruins the health of your lawn, while overwatering results in a shallow root system.
water penetration rate
Different soils require and absorb different amounts of water. You should know the specific soil type of your lawn before designing the irrigation system.
The soil is usually a combination of sand and clay, also known as loam. Clay soil does not hold water very well, but clay holds moisture much better. The main problem with clayey soils is that water penetrates slowly.
One method you can use to determine if your grass is properly hydrated is to use a screwdriver. If you're having trouble or can't get a 6-inch screwdriver into your lawn, you need more watering. The reason for the trick is that when watering the lawn, the water must soak the soil about 15 cm deep.
It may be necessary to schedule a day when time constraints do not prevent you from completing the screwdriver procedure. After about 15 minutes while watering the lawn, use a screwdriver or shovel to check how far the water has penetrated into the soil. From there, record the time it takes the water to penetrate 6 inches.
The above procedure will help you to know how long your lawn needs to be watered regularly to achieve proper penetration. This will also prevent you from over- or under-watering your grass. These practices will help you draw a better conclusion about what watering your lawn is all about.
where to water
You need to focus on the root zone when planning a lawn irrigation system. The plant's roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil, not the leaves. Over-wetting the leaves is a waste of water and can promote disease.
What tools are needed for irrigating?
irrigation benefitsHaving the right tools for the job will ensure that you can do the irrigation job with ease while following all the rules and guidelines required by your lawn irrigation system. For example, instead of using a drip irrigation system on your lawn, you can install a sprinkler irrigation system to efficiently water all parts of your lawn.
There are several effective lawn irrigation systems. You must find the most convenient and appropriate method for watering your space.
water by hand
This is the traditional irrigation method that has helped most people understand what lawn watering is all about. Watering cans or garden hoses are used. This watering method is very effective when done correctly.
It is recommended to always use a trigger spray nozzle to minimize water waste with this lawn irrigation system. If you were to just use an open garden hose, you would be needlessly wasting water as the water would leak out uncontrollably. The advantage of watering by hand is that you can assess if and how much a plant needs water.
In order for the Portable Lawn Irrigation System to be effective in irrigating lawns, a few tips need to be highlighted. Here are the measures to take into account for efficient watering.
Use a closed spray tip
Using a close-off spray nozzle will help minimize water shortages. It is one of the most recommended techniques for its effectiveness in saving water.
Use the lift test
You can easily tell if a plant needs water by picking up the container. Over time you will know the weight of a plant if you have enough water; if it is too light, it needs to be watered. However, the elevation test cannot be performed with plants in the landscape, so soil moisture must be checked.
Keep your garden hose clean
Navigating your backyard with a dirty, twisted hose is very tiring. Keep it clean and you will find that watering the garden every day is not such a difficult task.
slow down
Water that doesn't soak the root zone is wasted, and if you spray it too fast, it will run out of the root zone. Factor that those who don't know what it is to water the grass cannot understand. A slower, gentler watering is more effective, especially when watering the lawn by hand. The main benefits of watering that emphasize manual labor is ensuring that water gets to the root zone and sickens the plants.
There are other lawn watering systems that are more effective than the manual watering technique. Below are the three main types of modern irrigation you should be aware of.
- sprinkler
- Drip or drip irrigation
- surface irrigation
sprinkler irrigation
With this lawn irrigation system, water is distributed in the air, similar to how rain falls. Watering devices can be set temporarily and then moved intermittently based on the timing and amount of watering desired.
There are two sprinkler turf irrigation systems that allow for an in-depth look at what turf irrigation is all about. These include the pop-up sprinkler system and the mini sprinkler system.
A great way to water a garden is to use a pop-up sprinkler system. Pop-up sprinklers are only visible when the system is activated and will come back down once the irrigation is completely buried. Pop-up sprinklers provide better coverage than any other type of lawn sprinkler and are much more efficient, reducing water waste.
Mini sprinkler turf irrigation systems are similar to sprinkler and micro-jet systems, although they are above ground and used to cover large areas. Instead of a fine immersion jet, they have a rotor jet that emits heavy droplets of water. The advantages of mini-sprinkler irrigation methods are that they can cover areas of up to 5 meters in radius and evenly moisten the soil, making them ideal for large landscaped areas.
A pop-up sprinkler system is best for automatic garden irrigation and requires little effort, although it can be expensive for large areas. An above ground sprayer is what gardeners often use to maintain their gardens.
drip
This lawn irrigation system is a micro-irrigation technique that releases water through emitters in the form of droplets or small jets to the surface of the soil. The water delivery rate of these emitters is low enough to be used on almost any type of soil. The advantages of irrigation systems that use drip irrigation are that the technique applies less pressure and flow than traditional sprinkler systems.
surface irrigation
This type of lawn irrigation is mainly used on large plots of land. It consists of a wide range of irrigation techniques that dispense water to the soil surface by gravity flow. In short, the irrigation process occurs through a kind of controlled flooding of the land
underground irrigation
With this irrigation system, water is applied below the surface of the earth. The specific technique to use usually depends on the depth of the water table.
Whether you water your lawn by hand with a garden hose or a sprinkler, you need to know what watering your lawn is all about. In general, underground sprinklers are the best systems for watering lawns, mainly because they are efficient.
cost benefit
Lawn sprinklers are worth the investment if you intend to live in your current home for the long term. However, if you don't want to invest in an underground lawn irrigation system, the next best option is a pulsating rotary sprinkler connected to a landscape.
Rotary sprinkler sprays water horizontally at high speed; therefore, it is not susceptible to evaporation and wind. The square sprinkler sprays water vertically. Pulsating sprinklers can be considered ideal for an established lawn.
While pulsed sprinklers are an ideal choice for mature lawns, they can do more harm than good to a new lawn. The powerful flow of water from the pulsating sprinklers can wash away the seeds from new lawns. Alternatively, the benefits of oscillating sprinkler irrigation allow outgoing water to fall more smoothly onto the lawn, causing little or no stress to the seed.
Lawns that are part of new housing developments that have had the topsoil removed are often hard soils that make it difficult for water to penetrate. In these cases, if you know what it's like to water the lawn, you should water the lawn in approximately 30-minute strips with intervals between them to soften the soil so that the water penetrates into it.
Depending on the type of soil in your lawn, it is recommended to water each area for about 15 minutes. The advantage of the runtime is that the water has enough time to penetrate 6 inches. If you use a sprinkler system and don't know how to water your lawn, set it to a zone with a timer, then set it to switch to the next zone after 15 minutes.
Conclusion
A freshly seeded home lawn should only be watered for about 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. The watering interval should provide your lawn with enough water to keep the soil moist. You can start watering the lawn more deeply and less often once the grass starts to grow and flower.
You are now pretty confident that you know what watering your lawn feels like, and you have a good understanding of best practices and steps to take to maximize the health of your lawn. Knowing what it is to water the lawn, when, how and when is the best time to water it is the main aspect of lawn care that every gardener, homeowner and landscaper should know. For more information about lawn irrigation, call (314) 279-0798 or check out our services on our Hydro-Dynamic Corp website.