Regular Lawn Maintenance Is Key
The best time to ready the yard and help prepare the lawn for the growing season is spring. Essentially, spring lawn care is about removing weeds and fertilizing the soil. A good fertilizer does wonders for the soil and helps to increase root mass. Likewise, weeds can steal nutrients and water from the grassroots and so will need to be removed. Removing weeds may be done by hand, a weeding tool, or by the use of herbicides.
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Mow Your Grass Blades Higher
One way to reduce the amount of water your lawn needs is to raise the height of your mower blades. Instead of mowing your lawn down to the bare minimum, leave the grass 3-4 inches longer.
The extra grass blade length helps the lawn retain moisture, resulting in a greener lawn that requires less watering.
In addition, longer grass helps to protect the roots from heat damage and provides a natural barrier against weeds.
Ignoring Your Grass Needs
Taking a lawns age into consideration is important. A fully-grown lawn can handle a more powerful spray, whereas newly seeded lawns need a gentler touch. If you only have a small area of newly planted seeds, a Stationary Square Sprinkler works well for gentle spot-watering, while an Adjustable Length Wind-Resistant Rectangular Sprinkler can cover a bigger area.
For a sprinkler that will grow along with the grass, try the Circular Sprinkler Spike with on/off switch. The diffuser pin allows for a customized force of spray, from a steady shower for new grass to a more powerful stream for mature lawns.
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Can You Overwater Grass
Yes, if the turf never dries between watering, the moisture can choke out oxygen. Watering too heavily can wash away soil nutrients or cause water to pool in low spots, which is bad for the lawn and your water bill. Water less often for a little longer and watch for signs of overwatering or fungal activity.
How Often Should You Water Your Lawn In 100 Degree Weather
Proper Watering During Hot, Dry Weather Crucial to Healthy, Weed-Free Properties
When should I fertilize my lawn in Utah?
Aside from proper watering, every lawn needs a good meal every now and then. Fertilizing at least twice a year will result in a thick root system, a healthy lawn, and green grass.
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Dont Water When Its Windy Or Raining
While this may seem obvious, watering when its windy or raining will only result in wasted water.
The best time of day to water your lawn is early in the morning or late at night when its cooler outside.
However, if the wind is strong every night, choose a time when the wind is weaker, even if that does mean watering during the day to save water.
Water Conservation Its Up To You
The average 6 station sprinkler system uses over 2,500 gallons of water per watering. Eliminating one or two waterings can reduce your usage by thousands of gallons each month.
To check if your lawn needs water, step on it. If it springs back when you step off, it doesnt need water. If there are spots turning a bluish/grey cast, these spots need water, not the entire lawn. Use a hose and sprinkler to water these areas. If pulling hose is not an option, only water the station that is dry. Over time the roots will grow deeper requiring less water to be applied.
Check to see if you are watering sidewalks, driveways, streets or gutters, and adjust the sprinkler heads as needed.
Remember, it is best to water in the evenings and mornings when the sun is not out and temperatures are not hot. This will minimize evaporation, utilizing more of the water. Some areas of the county have windy conditions consistently in the mornings, avoid watering during these times.
Cut back watering on cool or rainy days. Set your lawn mower blades no less than 3 during the warmest part of the season. Longer grass means less evaporation. Mulching your lawn reintroduces moisture and nutrients which aids in moisture retention. Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. This will also reduce evaporation
Always water deep and infrequently instead of shallow and frequently.
Suggested Water Schedule
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Watering During The Summer Months
Depending on where you live, you may not need to water your lawn during the spring. The soil beneath the grass is often saturated with water from snowmelt, and spring rain will provide even more water.
However, as temperatures rise in May and June, you should slowly start watering your lawn more thoroughly and more frequently.
Start with watering once a week for about twenty minutes at a time, applying roughly half an inch of water to the grass. As temperatures exceed 80 degrees, you may need to start watering every three days for thirty to forty minutes at a time, or one to two inches of water each time.
The most common turf species in Utah and the broader Intermountain West is Kentucky Bluegrass, which needs about two inches of water per week in the summer.
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Hold Off Watering Lawn After Utah Declares Drought Emergency
SALT LAKE CITY With Gov. Cox calling for a state of emergency due to the widespread drought in Utah, now is not the time for residents to be watering their lawns.
The Utah Division of Water Resources is asking residents to hold off irrigating their personal home landscaping in an effort to conserve water.
Officials estimate more than 20 billion gallons of water could be saved every summer if people watered their lawns according to the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide.
According to the current edition of the guide, no areas in the state are advised to water. The guide uses data to give recommendations on how many days per week to water lawns based on conditions in each county.
Youve probably heard by now that were in one of the worst droughts on record and that soil moisture is at
Posted by Utah Division of Water Resources on Saturday, March 20, 2021
The department says watering now can actually do more harm than good to residential lawns. Homeowners are urged to let their turf build up strong roots before the summer, and watering now could lead to shallow and weak roots.
A state of emergency declaration will allow for state and federal resources to be used to help farms and communities that might be impacted by what is expected to be a long, hot summer.
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Salt Lake County’s Conservation Commitment Continues
Salt Lake County has 159 facilities and serves residents in lots of different ways.
New construction is being built with water conservation in mind. The County works with the municipality where facilities are located to meet local code and strives to achieve water-wise strategies.
For our older, existing facilities there’s more to be done. We’re working to plan out long-term updates that are fiscally responsible and within our budget.
Our Parks & Recreation division has been a leader in its industry, capturing efficiencies and protecting County assets, for example:
- It installed a central irrigation system to help manage and control parks water use, according to a Utah State University benchmark for healthy turf in Salt Lake Valley.
- Since 2018, Salt Lake County has been able to conserve 30% less than recommended water usage to care for turf.
- Salt Lake County’s six golf courses total over 1,000 acres. All are managed with central irrigation systems to conserve water based on weather-related needs.
While Salt Lake County has already taken many conservation steps, we intend to do more in response to worsening drought conditions in our ever-changing environment.
Salt Lake County had a goal of reducing its water use by 5% in 2021. Salt Lake County operations cut 13% of its water use through the heaviest use months of May-October in 2021.
In 2022, our operations continue additional waterwise measures started in 2021 to conserve water, including:
When Can You Water Your Lawn In Utah
Its ideal to water in the morning, preferably before 10 a.m., because its cooler and the roots have more time to absorb the water before the sun evaporates it. If you cant get it done in the morning, try not to water any later than 6 p.m. because you want the blades of grass to dry before night comes.
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Can Brown Grass Turn Green Again
Most grasses go dormant in winter, and begin to green up with rain and heat as spring comes along. So, water browning grass deeply in most instances and it should turn green again during its season. Wait and see how it recovers before throwing more water at the problem. Some browning, especially in circles, actually can indicate fungal growth, and adding more water will make the situation worse.
Not Watering Long Enough
This goes hand in hand with not watering every day. If you do water every day but only for 15 mins each day, you may think spacing it out will get a consistent amount of water to your grass. Youre wrong. You should be watering less frequently. But you should be watering deeply. Look at that thermometer again. If you are looking at 70-80 degrees you want to get about a half an inch of water onto your lawn. Usually, that means about 15- 20 mins per station with pop up spray heads, and 30-40 mins per station for far shooting rotating pop up sprinklers. If the temp outside is 90-100+ youre looking to get 1/2 3/4. Try 25-35 mins per station with pop up spray heads and 40-60 mins per station for far shooting rotating pop up sprinklers. Your watering time may vary so make sure you are doing some research on how long you need to water to get the appropriate amount of water on your lawn.
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Water Smarter Not More
There are some other really great lawn treatments available that will allow your lawn to retain more water as well. Do you want to know more? Contact Stewarts today to find out more about their 6 Step System with better weed control, better grub control, better fertilization, and better weed prevention.
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Weekly Lawn Watering Guide
Thank you to all who followed the Weekly Lawn Water Guide last summer! Water-saving actions made a difference, saving billions of gallons during this extreme drought. Keep it up!
Drought continues to impact our state, with some areas implementing restrictions, so check with your local provider. Follow the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide to find customized watering recommendations for your area.
60% of residential water use is used for outdoor irrigation. Eliminating just one watering can save about 3,000 gallons for the average quarter-acre Utah yard with .17 acres of green space. Please look for ways to water efficiently and slow the flow.
Each watering should apply ½ of water. To determine how long your stations should run to apply a ½, we recommend getting a Water Check or doing one yourself. The application rate of a sprinkler system depends on the pressure, spacing, and distribution of water. Below are some general ranges of typical run times based on precipitation rate:
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Top 3 Tips For A Lush Summer Lawn In Utah
Summer officially starts this weekend and, as promised, we’re delivering our quarterly blog on lawns. You can have a lush green yard in Utah by following just a few simple steps each season. Utah summers are typically hot and dry which means we have a focus on water. Many people think that because we live in a dry area that lawns must be impossible to keep green. But this is not true!
Green lawns in Utah are as simple as one, two, three in the summer. Here are our top 3 tips for keeping lawns green during the summer in Utah.
Recommended Sprinkler Run Times
Lets face it, for everyone, American or not, one of the conventionally shared dreams is owning a house. Not just any home, but one with perfectly mowed and healthy lawns, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, sophisticated interiors, white picket fence, and more.
While all of these arent always attainable, most people have a lawn at least, thats a start!
With having a lawn comes the chore of taking care of it properly. One solution? Sprinklers!
Sprinklers take off a lot of work from your shoulders, but as much as they are helpful, they can also be harmful to your lawn. Knowing when to run your sprinklers, how long they should run, and the intervals at which they should be run is essential.
Theres a significant connection between the right or standard sprinkler run time and a healthy lawn. Heres what you should know.
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Tips For Watering The Grass
If only maintaining a healthy green lawn was as simple as throwing down some seed and letting the grass take care of itself. The reality is that grass takes careful, consistent maintenance to keep it lush year-round.
A critical part of that care is regular watering. But how long should you water grass? And how often?
How Long Should I Water My Lawn
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
Learning how long to water your lawn is important for several reasons. Too much or too little water can result in a less than ideal appearance with dead or dried patches that invite weeds. Overwatering can also raise your water bill significantly so it pays off to have a fairly close idea of how much water your lawn requires to maintain green, good health. There are several factors to consider which include your soil and your specific growing zone.
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When Should I Turn Off My Sprinkler System
You should shut off your irrigation system just before temperatures in your region begin to dip below freezing at night. Dont shut off your irrigation system too early. Often homeowners shut their systems down as soon as the fall season arrives because they believe that their lawn requires less water.
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Best Time Of Day To Water My Lawn
As summer nears, the climate in Utah gets hotter and drier. You need to water the lawn at the right time. The best time is before 10 am and after 6 pm. At this time the sun isnt as strong, the weather cooler, and so, the roots have time to absorb the water before its lost to evaporation. Reducing the level of evaporation loss promotes water conservation. Its vital to be water-wise, especially in Utah, one of the driest states in the nation. Typically, the use of irrigation systems, i.e. sprinklers, helps conserve water. That is why fan-style pop-up heads are preferable over rotary-style systems. The former is much more efficient.
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When Why And How Often To Dethatch Your Lawn
Generally, lawns prone to thatch buildup should be dethatched once a year. âDethatching is typically done when the lawn is growing and able to repair and recover, and when weather conditions are conducive to survival ,â. Mann says. In most growing regions of the U.S., this means the spring or fall, when warm
How To Tell If Your Lawn Has Been Watered Enough
There are some simple tricks that will determine if a lawn is receiving enough water. First, does it look healthy? If it looks healthy, then it probably is which means stick to what you are doing. Another way to determine if your lawn needs to be watered is to submerge a screwdriver into the grass. If it easily sinks 6 to 7 inches, then your lawn is receiving an adequate amount of water each week. If not, it is probably time to make a change to your watering routine.
Be ready for changing weather and be aware of when a lawn needs more feeding and fertilizing. Give lawns an organic fertilizer and compost in fall and spring and cut back on watering when dry days turn to rainy ones.
If you see mushrooms growing in your grass, it is most likely due to overwatering. The best next step is to decrease the amount of watering until the mushrooms are gone.
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Q: The Brown Grass In My Yard Seems To Indicate That Im Under
A: A sprinkler system can water your lawn evenly, efficiently, and effortlessly, but the health of your turf depends on how long you run the water. Under-water by running your sprinklers too briefly and the grass will curl up and brown overwater by leaving sprinklers on too long and the soggy ground will invite excess thatch, pests, and/or fungus while wasted water will run off and weather your hardscape.
The ideal watering duration for your lawn depends on a variety of factors, including grass type, season, sprinkler system, and weather. Read on to learn exactly how long to water your lawn for a healthy, vibrant turf.
