The extended forecast from the National Weather Service of Dodge City is not looking promising for any significant rain fall in the coming weeks. Because of this, I’m going to take the next few weeks to highlight how to keep plants healthy during a drought.
Most everyone can appreciate a lush green lawn. However, not everyone loves the maintenance or the associated costs. By watering our lawns efficiently, water consumption can be reduced by up to 50 percent with only a 10 percent reduction in turf quality. Don’t let that scare you off just yet, stick with me here. To a majority of us, this change is hardly noticeable and leads to positive effects such as less frequent mowing and fewer weeds, diseases and insects. For those that don’t water, supplementing our lawns with water during a drought can help maintain a good stand of turf. Over time, poor turf stands can encourage weed growth.
There are many factors to consider including; warm or cool season turf, weather conditions, soil type, season, fertilizer, mowing height and the slope.
Following these practices will help conserve water:
- Water only when lawn shows signs of needing water.
- Water in the morning.
- Water slowly so all water is absorber, no run off.
- Direct the water only onto the turf. Avoid watering sidewalks, curbs and driveways.
- Use sprinklers that produce drops of water, not mists.
- Soak soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.
- Start practices gradually or at the beginning of the growing season.
- Water as infrequently as possible without overstressing the grass.
- Avoid shallow, frequent waterings
- Avoid watering in the middle of hot windy days.
Never water the lawn by the calendar. By that, I mean, don’t water daily, every other day, or a specific day of the week. Watering too frequently and lightly is a common mistake. This produces a shallow root system and reduces resistance to heat, cold, drought and wear.
One should use a soak and wait method. Soak the soil to the depth of the root zone, and wait as long as possible before watering the grass again. Watch for signs that turf needs water, such a darker blue-green color or for foot prints remaining in the turf. But, do not wait until the turf is severely wilted!
The frequency of irrigation depends on your turf type. Buffalograss will need watered less frequent, because of its drought tolerance. Bermudagrass is also drought tolerant, but will need more water than buffalograss. Tall Fescue and Zoysiagrass need more water because they are not ideally considered drought tolerant for Western Kansas in general.
Watering less than 3 inches deep is considered a shallow watering. This encourages roots to stay near the top of the soil. On hot windy days, our lawns dry out quicker due to evaporation. This shallow watering is inefficiently using our water resources and causing the need for more frequent watering. To make the lawn has been watered sufficiently, push down a rod or long screwdriver into the soil. When the rod will go no further, dry soil has been found. If the rod is able to reach 6 to 8 inches, the root zone has been adequately watered.
Watering in the early morning is the most efficient time to water. Less water evaporates because it is cooler and less windy. Watering in the evening will mean the turf will stay wet through the night, increasing the likely hood of disease.
A short video from KSRE Turf Specialist, Rodney St. John will give you more insight on how to water and why.
We have just scratched the surface of lawn care, but hopefully you have gained some information to help your lawn survive the ongoing drought we are experiencing. If you would like more information on the tips offered today, visit K-State Research and Extension’s publications Watering Your Lawn and Maintaining Good Lawns with Less Water. Stay tuned next week for information on watering trees! Hint: Watering a lawn is not considered watering trees.
