Growth Of Downy Mildew
Downy Mildew is also common on some vegetables.
This fungus is even more species specific than powdery mildew, but it does require free water; and humidity above 90% to infect a plant. Infection occurs, generally in 8 to 12 hours.
The tests above showed that there might be a drying difference of 30 minutes between morning watering and evening watering. That will have a limited effect on an infection process that takes 8 hours.
Top 5 Tips For Watering Your Lawn
Watering your lawn is one of the most important parts of caring for your lawn. Not watering enough leads to a range of different lawn problems and can ultimately lead to your lawns demise. On the other hand, watering too much can have adverse effects on your lawn as well.
So here are the top 5 tips we recommend in keeping your lawn well hydrated and drought tolerant, so it performs at its best.
It is also important to abide by any water restrictions in your area. By ensuring you select a drought tolerant lawn and follow these simple steps it will be a lot more manageable for your lawn to cope during these restrictions.
How Can You Tell If Your Lawn Has Had Enough Water
Simply making sure your sprinklers are on for long enough to deliver around 1.5 inches of water to your lawn is enough.;
A simple way to check whether your lawn is getting enough water is to stick a dinner knife into the soil beneath your grass. If it slides in easily, then the grass likely has enough water. But if the ground is hard and dry, you probably need to increase the amount of water youre givingor how often youre watering.
Watering your lawn is one of those simple, routine tasks that can make all the difference to how your yard looks. You dont need to spend a lot of time or effort watering your lawn: a simple sprinkler system that you run 2 3 times a week is likely to be plenty.
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Why Do You Need To Water Your Lawn
The deeper the roots- the less often you will need to water- and a;healthier lawn withstands drought.; Deep watering actually encourages deeper roots as they grow deeper into the soil to search for water.
Deep roots enjoy the lower soil temperatures during the heat of the summer and less fluctuations in moisture levels and temperature.
Watering At The Wrong Time
To water well, timing is everything. Water in the early morning between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Midday watering leads to wasteful evaporation, while nighttime watering causes droplets to cling to grass overnight, increasing the chance of lawn diseases.
A Dual Outlet Electronic Water Timer will prove handy for those mornings you are away or want to sleep in. Just program the start time, frequency and duration of watering, and let the timer take care of the rest. The dual outlets make it easy to hook up two hoses at once and program separate schedules for different parts of the yard. We suggest attaching a Flexogen Super Duty Hose, as it easily curves around the yard without kinking and connects to a spigot without leaking saving water and money.
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Misconception #: I Dont Have To Water My Lawn
One of the most common misconceptions we hear about our customers lawns is the misbelief that there is no reason to water it on your own. A lot of people in the Allentown, Lansdale, PA or surrounding areas think that rain will naturally provide a lawn with what it needs.
But what about a dry spell? While your lawn can survive a couple weeks of drought, it will eventually thin the turf and create an ideal environment for weeds to invade. If you want a healthy lawn, you will definitely need to water it from time to time.
How Much Water Does Your Lawn Need
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Most lawns need 1 1.5 inches of water per week, though you may want to give as much as 2 inches. ;
To figure out how long to have your sprinklers on for, place 5 10 straight-sided containers on your lawn. Run the sprinklers for 15 minutes, then measure the depth of water in each container using a ruler.
Take an average of the measurements, multiply by 4, and youll know how much water your sprinklers are putting out per hour.
Its important to avoid over-watering your lawn, as this can cause excessive growthmeaning youll need to mow more often than you otherwise would. Its also wasteful. You may even consider collecting water from the rain in order to water the yard at a later date, too.2
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How Often Should I Water My Lawn In The Summer
Every living thing needs water, and your grass is no exception.
But simply remembering to water your lawn isnt enough. Theres a right way and a wrong way to do it, as anyone in the PA landscape construction industry can tell you.
For example, if youre not generous enough with your watering, the roots of the grass wont grow deeply, leaving your lawn in trouble at the height of summer.
And if you decided to run your sprinkler system after dark, your lawn can become too moist, leaving it open to mold and, eventually, disease.
Before you start watering, follow these steps.
Best Time To Water Morning Noon Or Evening
The common advice is to water in the morning and not at night because watering at night keeps leaves wet all night and allows fungal spores to infect leaves. This seems to make sense, but is this really true? Do leaves stay wet a long time if watered at night?
What do farmers do? If they have to irrigate 100 acres, do they stop watering in the afternoon to reduce fungal infection?
Another common piece of advice is to water the soil only. Dont get the leaves wet and you will have less fungal problems. I have always felt that water evaporates fairly quickly so is this really a concern?
Best Time to Water Morning, Noon or Evening?
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Whats The Best Time To Water In The Cooler Areas
There are quite a few things that you need to understand about watering your plants in the cooler weather conditions.
In most cases, the weather remains quite hot during the growing season, whereas the dormant season remains relatively cool. So, if you live in these areas , you might be wondering about the ideal time to water your plants.
Basically, you wont need to water your lawns at all when the temperatures are relatively cool. Even in areas that receive significantly less rainfall, theres generally enough water available to support the roots, so during this time, thats virtually all you really need.
If you try to add more water, its only going to lead to other problems such as root rot on your plants.
You have to try and make sure that you maintain a balance when watering the soil.
Also, another important thing that you need to consider is the compactness and aeration of the soil.
If the soil is way too compact and hasnt been aerated in a while, it might be a wise idea on your part to get started with the aeration. Otherwise, the water wont be able to reach the roots properly, and this could prove to be a serious problem over the passage of time.
These are just a few tips to water and ensure effective turf management on the soil.
Is Watering Grass Seed At Night Bad For Your Lawn
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The grass in your lawn requires a considerable amount of upkeep and maintenance.
Most people dont pay any attention to their lawn, and it often ends up affecting the landscaping across the yard.
If you like spending time out in the garden or the yard, you will want to make sure the grass is properly watered. However, if you think you can just randomly water the grass any time you want, think again.
Proper watering is essential to maintain the clean and green environment, and it is important that you maintain a schedule.
If you dont water the grass on time, it wont take long before the grass shrivels up and dies.
Similarly, if you add too much water to the grass, its probably going to get oversaturated, and also succumb to its death.
Watering the lawn might seem like a basic task for most people, but understanding how much water to give, and when to water, can be a tad bit confusing.
You might have heard that watering your lawn in the evening is a great idea, and if you take a look around your neighborhood, you might even see automatic sprinklers turning on at a few of the houses. But, is that really a suitable option?
Most people dont even give this a thought, but the timing of the watering actually plays an important role.
Lets talk about why watering your lawn at night is a problem.
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What If You Dont Have Time In The Morning And Have To Water Your Grass Seedlings At Night
If watering your lawn in the morning is impossible for you because of your work schedule, or for some other reason, I suggest watering your lawn in the late afternoon.;
The late afternoon brings cooler temperatures than during the day, and adding water to your lawn at this time will give your grass time to dry before night descends, which can help prevent disease.
Again, I want to warn you that keeping your lawn too wet during the night will actually encourage the growth of fungus and make your lawn more susceptible to disease. While watering your lawn in the late afternoon will give the water enough time to evaporate before the sun completely goes down, you miss out on the benefits of morning watering, which is the ideal time.
Remember: watering your lawn at night actually encourages fungus growth and makes your lawn more unhealthy than if you water in the morning or if you water in the late afternoon.
My recommendation is to buy an inexpensive timer that will attach to your spigot and the hose that runs to your sprinklers, so you can water your grass seed at the perfect time every day.
When Is The Best Time Of Year To Water Your Lawn
Okay, so lets say that you got through the cooler winter months without any watering. Congratulations! You know you will have to start up again at some point, though. As the weather starts to get warmer, you find yourself asking the question, When is the right time?
Should you just go back to your warm weather schedule at the beginning of spring? Do you wait until the grass begins growing again and you have to start cutting it?
While you dont want to wait until your lawn starts looking sickly and brown, most people actually misjudge and begin watering too early in the year.
So how do you know when to start back up with watering your lawn?
Check the weather. The most basic rule is that you do not need to worry about watering your lawn until the weather is hot and dry.
In other words, if youre getting a good amount of spring rain, you can wait. If you touch your lawn in the morning and your fingers get wet with dew, you can wait.
To keep your lawn as healthy and resilient as possible, the best thing that you can do for it is to wait to start watering until it really, truly needs it. A little bit of stress should actually cause your roots to grow deeper as they seek out water, making them stronger.
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Watering The Wrong Amount
While overwatering is a common mistake, it happens to be one of the most detrimental. Unless watering newly planted grass seed, dont water every day.
Frequent, shallow watering wastes water and money. It also leads to a number of lawn problems, including diseases, insect infestations and damage from heat and cold. On the other hand, watering longer but less frequently, deep watering, produces deep roots that mean lawns can better survive periods of drought. The ideal watering schedule is once or twice per week, for about 25 to 30 minutes each time.
Taking care of a lawn doesnt have to be an overwhelming, all-consuming task. Once all the tips and tricks are in your back pocket, it will be easy to come up with a routine that results in a gorgeous green lawn.
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When Is The Best Time To Water The Garden
When is the best time to water the garden?
Early morning is the best time to water the garden when using a sprinkler, garden hose, or any other device that wets the plant foliage.; When watering is completed, the plant foliage dries quickly.; The rapid drying of plant foliage helps guard against the development of fungal diseases.; Additionally, a morning application allows the water to soak deeply into the soil with little water lost to evaporation. ;
Watering at midday is less efficient because of rapid evaporation.; When using a sprinkler, midday watering can also be wasteful as strong winds may carry water onto the driveway, patio, or other nearby areas. ;
Watering in the evening with a sprinkler or garden hose can lead to greater disease problems as the plant foliage will likely remain wet throughout the night. ;
Mornings and evenings are excellent times to water gardens when using a drip irrigation system or soaker hose.; Watering in the evening isnt a problem as these methods dont wet plant foliage. ;;
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When During The Day Should You Water Your Lawn
Its best to water your lawn in the early morningbefore 10 am at the latest, and ideally between 4 am 9 am. This gives time for the water to soak in before the day gets hot. If you water during the middle of the day, the water will evaporate quicklymeaning its less likely to reach the roots of your grass.
Avoid watering your lawn at night time, because this can encourage the growth of fungus.
How Long Should I Water
Simply finding the right time to water your plants isnt the only solution; you also have to understand the quantity of water that your grass seeds require.
This is quite important to know in general, because ideally, you will want to make sure that sandy soils are watered after every three days or so.
On the other hand, clay soils should only be watered at least once a week.
Now, many people are confused about just how much water they should provide to their grass seed on the lawn. Well, to put it simply, you will want to make sure that you provide enough water to soak at least six inches of the soil.
But why six inches, you might ask?
Again, six inches is required to let deep grass roots grow properly. However, while its easy to understand that your soil receives at least six inches of water, how do you figure out the time it will take for the water to soak down to the six inches?
The thing is, every lawn is different, so it all depends on the composition of your soil.
In most cases, however, you should leave the water on for at least 15 minutes.
But, if you notice that the soil isnt properly wet, you might want to leave it on for a bit longer, usually between 20 and 25 minutes.
If you want, you can buy a hygrometer from your local gardening store, and stick it in different parts of the soil.
A few days of testing is more than enough to figure out just how long you should water your lawn for.
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Morning Versus Evening: Which Is A Better Watering Time
According to some peoples definition of common lawn care wisdom, watering in the day is useless because of evaporation, therefore, watering in the evening is best. But the early morning is actually the best time because it has the benefits of sunlight, not just the drawbacks. If you can water before 10 a.m., when there are cooler temperatures and calmer breezes to prevent evaporation, as well as a rising sun that will evaporate the excess water, youll be doing the best for your lawns health!
In the early morning, the grass will also still be dewy. Thats a positive thing because watering the grass when it is wet helps prevent the spread of disease and fungus by reducing the length of time your grass is wet. The grass will have time to absorb and use the water before the sun gets too high. Even though evaporation can render your watering useless, you still want the sun to evaporate excess water before it can create a good environment for grass-killing pests.
If you water overnight, there will be no high sun to do the positive evaporation, meaning your lawn will remain wet for twelve hours or more, until the following morning sun dries off the lawn. This creates the perfect conditions for many harmful types of fungi and insects who thrive in wet foliage, and youll hurt large patches of your grass this way. Contact a professional landscaper to learn more!
