agree with Low Water Lawns - Maintaining a healthy Lawn Under Water Restrictions
With water restrictions now affecting many homes in most regions of the world, our lawn care practices must turn if we are to continue to own and say green lawns throughout the year. The effects of water restrictions or drought are most noticeable in the Summer when lawns wish the most water to combat evaporation and heat. This stress on lawns can be greatly reduced with just planning to adapt the sod to grow and thrive with much less water than we were accustomed to applying in the past.
Low Water Lawns - Maintaining a healthy Lawn Under Water Restrictions
There are 3 key factors to achieving the aim of having a low water and drought unyielding lawn, and these are:
Choosing A Grass Type For Low Water Requirements
Different grass types have separate water requirements. Some wish a lot of water, while others can continue to thrive with much less water. To generate a drought tolerant lawn, we must first pick the right lawn variety.
The best Cool Season grasses for drought tolerance belong to the Fescue family, while the best Warm Season grasses are Zoysia, Bahia and Centipede.
The point Of Soils For Low Water Lawns
Soil is the life principles of all plants, along with lawns, and low water lawns will all the time be under higher stress than lawns which have a plentiful furnish of water. For this reason, our soil becomes more vital than ever, so just attentiveness must be paid to the condition of the soil.
Clay soils should be broken up with a clay-breaking Gypsum additive and if potential - a sandy loam mixed in with it. Sandy soils should have some good organic matter mixed in to boost the level of nourishment and water keeping available to the lawn. This could include organic manure based fertilizer and other organic soils available at a soil furnish outlet. Alternatively, if the soil is highly poor, then notice should be given to removing the top few inches of soil and replacing it with new capability topsoil.
Planting A Low Water Lawn
Mid Fall is the best time to lay new sod, the heat of Summer has finished, and the lawn will have adequate time to design under low heat stress and with less requirement for water. The new sod should be fully established with good roots before Winter arrives.
Correct Watering and Training Lawns To Grow Deeper Roots
A deep root principles allows the roots of the lawn to live below the evaporation level of the topsoil, this means the lawn will all the time have a consistent availability of water, even on the hottest days.
To train the lawn to grow deep roots, we have to essentially deprive the sod of as much water as possible. As the immediate availability of water is reduced at the top of the soil, the lawn will plainly set down roots deeper into the soil to look for water.
Because the lawn was planted in Fall, it will be Spring before we need to begin a watering regimen, and the lawn will already have an established root principles by this time.
First, turn off all self-acting irrigation systems. We must now monitor the lawn every day, if the lawn is finding green and healthy, then there is no need to water. Slowly we will notice the lawn is finding less than perfect, we still do not want to water just yet, but we do need to keep keenly monitoring it.
Once the leaf of the lawn is becoming wilted, and is still wilted at the end of the day, it is time to give the sod a very large drink of water. Manually switch on the irrigation principles and water for duplicate or triple the general watering time which was previously used. This allows the water to sink deep into the soil below the evaporation level.
Each time we water this way, we are maintaining a water furnish below the evaporation level of the topsoil. More water may be used at each watering, but we are watering far less often, and using far less water overall. This watering formula must be followed from now on.
Lawn Mowing A Low Water Lawn
The final step to creating drought tolerant sod involves lawn mowing practices. Despite what many population believe that mowing is only to take off excess lawn growth, it is in fact a vital part of all lawn care practices and is slightly separate for low water lawns.
Low water lawns should be mowed higher than they otherwise used to be, an extra half to one inch of height is regularly most suitable. This allows the sod to shade the soil and roots more effectively during hotter weather, and keeps more soil moisture available to the lawn.
Lawn should be mowed more regularly also, this not only has the advantage of giving us a gorgeous lawn, but also promotes the lawn to come to be thicker and healthier, and provides even more shade to the soil and root system.
Fertilizing and Wetting Agents
Because the sod will be under higher stress, we must keep the lawn in the best condition potential in order to say it as a low water lawn. Fertilizers furnish lawns with the minerals and nutrients they need for food, survival and strength. Begin a fertilizing regimen which involves application every 8 weeks, and only ever apply fertilizers just before the lawn is due to be watered. Fertilizers which are left sitting on the lawn surface can severely damage lawns, unless watered into the sod as soon as potential after application.
Wetting Agents are similar in makeup to detergents. When applied to lawns and soils, the Wetting Agents will break down the greasy coating on grains of soil which makes some soils water repellent, they also greatly aid in the even distribution of water throughout the soil profile and allow the soil to hold onto water for longer periods of time. Wetting Agents should be applied between 2-4 times per year.
Summary Of Creating A Low Water Lawn
These key points will aid in the creation of a low water lawn:
Choose the right lawn variety. Improve soil quality. Water deeply and infrequently - and only when required. Mow lawns higher, and more frequently. Apply Wetting Agents and Fertilizers regularly.
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