Watering Your Lawn in the Summer
Cary, NC – Now that the weather is getting hotter, it is time to be more conscientious about water use. And one easy way to manage your water is by rethinking how you care for your lawn.
During the Summer, demand for water nearly doubles so it is important to find ways to reduce how much you are using. First of all, everyone should keep in mind the alternate date watering schedule.
Wednesday, Friday, Sunday: Even-numbered addresses only
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Odd-numbered addresses only
Also, keep in mind that overwatering will cause most of your turf problems. If you are someone who regularly waters your lawn, you only need to apply the equivalent of one inch of rainfall a week. And if it rains, you do not need to water your lawn for that week and may want to wait another week or so if rainfall is particularly heavy.
If you use sprinklers, consider using the “cycle and soak” method, setting your sprinkler to go three times a day, placing a one hour gap in between each cycle and devoting up to four minutes on each zone of your lawn or garden. This will allow the water to soak in and prevent runoff. It is a much better and more efficient way to water your lawn than just watering it all at once. In the end, this will also lead to a deeper and better root system for your grass.
You can also look into installing a drip irrigation system. This will drastically reduce the amount of water you use on your lawn and it will save you time and money in the long run.
And think about the kind of lawn you have. If you have trees and plenty of shade coverage, you will need to water your lawn far less, maybe even keeping it down to once a month if there is no rainfall. You can also take the time to aerate your lawn’s soil, which will ensure that it stores water and nutrients better.
Remember, water is a shared resource we all use so be thoughtful about the way you use your water and think about your neighbors’ potential needs as well.
Story by staff reports. Photos by Neal Gillis and Emi Kuri.
Unless you have “gray water”, watering your lawn is a waste of water. Our neighbor has a sprinkler set on a timer. The morning after we got 2″ of rain, the sprinkler was going full blast, and that wasn’t the first time this has happened (we don’t have gray water). Water is indeed a shared resource, and a full, pure water supply for Cary is far less than guaranteed.
Save the water for washing your dishes, your clothes and yourself, folks. Please.