Comanche Extension Agent Michael Berry
Watering Your Yard I do not know what has happened to El Nino and the promise of some more moisture, after some fair to good rainfall in the late spring. Rainfall and moisture conditions have continued to disintegrate to the point we are now back in moderate to severe drought conditions with no short-term relief in the forecast.
The National Weather Service shows us getting into above average rainfall conditions in the fall. That is still a way off and lawns could be in tough shape by then.
Many, if not most yards are currently stressed from drought.
Water is of course critical to growing quality turf grass, but it is important that we are conservative with the water we use.
Properly watering lawns can reduce the amount of water used without reducing the quality of turf.
It is easy to identify drought stressed grass i.e., leaves turning a dull, bluish color, leaf blades rolling or folding, and footprints that remain in the grass after walking across the lawn. The secret is to identify the stress early then water appropriately.
Most of us have a spot in our lawn that dries out quicker than the rest of the yard; this could be due to soil type or shallow top soil. No matter, just watch that area when it shows drought stress and water your whole yard accordingly. Although it takes a little more diligence, watering when your yard shows signs of needing a drink rather than by a schedule is actually better for your yard, and it usually saves water.
Everyone wants to keep their yard pretty and green, but during droughty conditions we must be even more diligent in our water saving efforts.
So, the next question is how much to water. Deep watering to wet the soil to a depth of 6” will help prevent your grass from becoming shallow rooted and make it less susceptible to drought stress.
You can use a garden spade to check the depth of your soil moisture.
With the oppressive heat we have been experiencing the last couple of weeks, you may have to water every 5 to 8 days.
As the heat hopefully subsides later this summer and early fall, you will be able to go 10 days or more between watering. We have some excellent publications on our web site: https:// comanche. agrilife. org/, that talk about lawn water management, or you can come by the office, and we will make a copy for you.
The best time to water is going to be early in the morning- you will lose less water to evaporation, and the wind is usually still calm so your water applications will be more uniform than applying during the day. Evening or night applications increase the risk of disease, due to the grass being wet for a longer period of time.
It looks as though we are going to continue to have high temperatures and dry conditions for a while. Despite this, with a little work it is possible to keep your yard healthy and conserve water.